


Rays of Love, Moonshine Heart

by misakikinomoto



Series: The Eclipse Chronicles [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: (Ish) - Freeform, Abandonment Issues, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Big Bang Challenge, Dean/Cas Big Bang Challenge 2013, F/F, M/M, Minor Character Death, Pre-Slash, Romance, Slow Burn, detailed description of the death of a minor character, mentions of torture and rape in the background, perceived mental abuse of a minor, possible triggers, serious bastardization of said biblical stories (adapted to suit the story), serious psychological trauma of a child (can be seen as such), several references to biblical tales and possible blaspehmy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-15
Updated: 2013-11-15
Packaged: 2018-01-01 09:37:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 21
Words: 26,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1043284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misakikinomoto/pseuds/misakikinomoto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucifer is going to rise, Chuck has been silent, and the Moon Wolf and the Sun Angel have yet to come into their destiny.</p><p>It'll take a lot of friends, family, and allies to get there, but Dean and Castiel know what's at stake, and know that sometimes, it takes more than just pure strength or intelligence to stop Evil.</p><p>Sometimes it take Love. They just need to get there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sink Or Swim

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever big bang. It all started with a really weird dream which ended with me wanting to write a long, long story. At the beginning, it wasn't an idea for the deancasbigbang, but just a story idea between me and my best friend on the internet- DezzieWinter. 
> 
> But then, as my story slowly started coming together in my plans, and the sign ups opened, I decided to take a chance with it. And I am so happy to have done so. 
> 
> It took several months of blood, sweat and tears. Those of you who actually read my stories will know by now that I don't write with deadlines but according to when and where I get ideas. Longer stories take me a lot of time, so this was an actual challenge for me. 
> 
> The original storyline that I constructed didn't take into account that I would be part of the big bang, so its been made into a series. :) 
> 
> This entire story is the effort of not only me, but a lot of other people.
> 
> dearmirah on LJ has taken time out of her life, regardless of health issues and the like, to be my Alpha. wantingneverland, who was my beta and also guided me through the rough waters in the beginning. 
> 
> dezziewinter, who has been my cheerleader, my muse, my story board approver and everything else in between through these months of utter havoc.
> 
> And of course, Bek, who will always be my wonderful fangirl wife, who has made me laugh till I cried even though she disappeared off the net for a while. :P
> 
> Thank you so much for all your help.
> 
> Also, thank you for all of the people who commented on my other stories asking me when I was going to continue writing them, because you are the reason this fic is completed, the reason why I could push forward even though I was ready to give up.
> 
> I also have a wonderful artist, who had to jump in last moment, because my original one had some issues. Thank you, cs_kiddo, for being a wonderful pinch hitter, saving one fanfic at a time.
> 
> Lastly, I'd like to take some time to quickly do some warnings, because its better to do so in the beginning itself. If you've not read the tags, there are multiple potential triggers. Kidnapping, mentions of rape and torture in detail, the description of a minor character being burnt alive, mentions of psychological trauma due to perceived mental abuse, abandonment issues. If I've forgotten anything, I'm sorry. If you see any more, please do comment and I will most definitely add them to my list of possible triggers.

Long, long ago, back when God was building a solar system, He brought to life the only planet in that entire solar system that could bear life. God determined the creation of beasts and immortals of various talents. For them, He had created an Earth.

 

Once again, God found himself building another world in different dimension. He could see at the back of his mind, the men of the “original” Earth, mucking about in their daily business. They roamed back and forth, between work, home and family, constantly buzzing with emotion.They believed they were the only creatures in the Universe, and God let them believe that. He knew that humans could very well be violent when threatened.

 

But that was besides the point. He was about to build yet another world, and He had a good idea what He wanted from it. Back on Earth there was a duo of brothers who went by the name of Winchester and they drove across the United States of America hunting down creatures of the night. Sadly they’d been hurt, repeatedly, by celestial plans and people misinterpreting His word. However, He wanted them to be happy.

 

God wanted Dean Winchester to be happy, because a man should never feel that much pain in his life. He wanted Sam Winchester to be able to finally stay with someone he loved and not to be forced to give up his dreams. He wanted His beloved son, Castiel, to be happy, and to love the man he loved in a way that did not end in pain and misery.

 

And so He concentrated and once again, kick-started Creation.

 

In the beginning there was nothing. No sound, no living being besides Himself.  It was then that God created the trees, and the forests, and rivers that would bring life to the New World. He made mountains, He made oceans.

 

Then He stopped for a moment, reflected on what He had done, and saw that it was good. He once again thought of an Earth, not unlike the one He was about to create, where He breathed Life into many creatures, and somewhere along the line, it all ended in misery.

 

He had created companions in the form of creatures made of pure light. Celestial wavelengths that were created to protect His dearest creation - mankind. And so, He decided to stick with the idea. Instead of making His oldest children out of just wavelengths, he made them out of sand. He molded them from the light of the sky and the water of the earth . He made them exactly like the humans from the other world He had created. He gave them a Heart, he gave the Love. He gave them eyes that would let them see the beauty of the world. He gave them skin so they could feel the heat, the texture of the sand under their feet. He wanted them to experience the world the way the humans could on the other Earth. He wanted them to feel free. This time around, they would love whoever they wanted to. This time around they would Love the way he thought the other angels knew they would be able to. This time they would be happy.  

 

Finally, He laughed, His laugh echoing through the world and creating birds. He grinned, delighted with the idea that had just occurred to him. It would be apt to make them the Angels humans on Earth believed them to be. To complete his first masterpiece God made the angels wings. He stitched each and every bone together, weaving on them sinews of muscle. He made their wings strong to enable flight, he made them flexible. And lastly, he gave them feathers. Feathers of a million colours, from brown to grey to even red. He made them all diverse, and this time around, He let them know Free Will.

 

People often believed that He could do no wrong, but He truly regretted what had happened on that Earth. His children had died, killed each other for misconstrued ideas of what He had wanted for them. Never again, God promised. He would do right by this new beginning.

 

And so the Angels were the first.

 

His youngest creation, the Werewolves.

 

He created them in a manner similar to the angels, in a manner that even the Vitruvian Man would be jealous. The creature in front of Him, the first of the Werewolves, raised his neck and howled. His back was arched, and God graced him with His joy. The man-wolf fell to all fours, his features shifting from his original form to one that was evidently more animalistic. His body was tense in the joy of transforming for the first time. His fur was white, snow white. It glowed in the moon, making it look less like snow and more like what liquid moonlight would look like. His amber eyes watched the form that God had taken carefully, unsure of what he would be asked to do.

 

God blinked, and immediately, the Creation of a Pack took place. He created for the Wolf a companion, a Mate. He then created more and more wolves till the valley they were all standing in was filled with wolves. Their differently coloured fur shone in the light of the moon, but no one stood out more than the moonshine wolf in front of him.   
  


Yet, something troubling began. In the words of one of God’s favorite authors-  Nothing travels faster than the speed of light, with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws. When God managed to create a world filled with beauty and brilliance he knew Murphy’s Law would be out to get him. Murphy’s Law applied to God’s life the most. It was a ridiculous situation that God was sure he’d laugh about eventually. It hadn’t happened yet, but he could hope.

 

Just when God thought His work in that world was done, something else began to form. It was obvious that God (or rather, the rational part of him that wasn’t trying to create a perfect world so that two men could have the perfect life) could not let a world so bright exist without a little bit of darkness. It was essential. After all, if you have never lived in the dark, never felt fear or hunger or pain, how could you possibly know when you were living in the light?

 

And so The Shadows were created. Their formation left God with no choice, He wasn’t about to leave his Children without any guidance.

  
  


So God decided that there was one more thing He had to make… someone who would warn the clans when they had to be warned, as none of them could stand His True Image.

 

Someone who could see into possible futures and warn His children, His creations, of what would come.

 

Someone who could stop the Shadows with his Sight.

 

Someone who spoke the Word, and could make it easy to interpret.

 

Someone who could help His children grow and protect themselves, and no longer depend on their Father.

 

He called this new being…..Chuck.

 

The Prophet.

 

He Who Would See All.

 

He Who Would Live A Thousand Lives.

 

Chuck.

 

* * *

 

Before He left, God left a single message to Chuck the Prophet. To His utter amusement, he had taken the exact form of the Chuck from another Earth. He was slightly short, but not too short. He wore baggy clothes- a pair of jeans and a flannel- that had too much in common with the Earth Chuck to belong to this one. He wore thick glasses and his hair was a messy mop on the top of his head.  Chuck smiled weakly, knowing what God was chuckling about because He’d created him. He had inserted all of His knowledge of the Universe into Chuck’s head.

 

“Chuck, there is only one thing that you must always remember,” He said, seriously.

 

Chuck nodded.

 

“People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff.”

 

And then God disappeared.

 

“Doctor Who? Really?” said Chuck with a groan.

 

And as God retreated from this Creation, all His children found their own families, and established homes on in this new world.

  
  


* * *

 

Chuck stared out from behind the tree branches he was been perched upon. He could take any form he wished, and did so whenever he wanted, but his favorite was the Owl. The Wise Owl who saw everything that night brought. Owls belonged to the night just as the Wolves did. Out of all of his Father’s creation the Wolves were Chuck’s favorite. During the day, they were ….what he could only call human-like. It was odd to say at first, but it had been a likeness his Father brought to mind. However, Chuck mused, unlike their human counterparts these beasts could change into Wolves at will. They seemed so happy, together. They revelled in their Pack-bond, loved each other so much, and Chuck’s heart ached at what he knew would come. Because the Shadows were on the rise, and if Chuck was correct, today would be the day. Today would be the day that Mary and John- the two most important wolves at this stage- would finally mate, after having danced around each other for ages.

 

Chuck watched the wolves circle each other, but not in a manner that could be seen as threatening. A large male wolf, an alpha the color of night with green eyes sharper than the glass the Fairy Folk of the North Sea created. His dark fur glinted in the light, reminding Chuck of the night. The beta wolf, a female, was the embodiment of sunshine at noon and the dripping-toffee that was a specialty of the dwarves of the Forest of Sweet Water . Her eyes, the color of a clear summer sky. Even without his Sight, Chuck could tell that they were already in love. Chuck grinned, tilting his head in delight, as he watched them perform a ritual Dance. Chuck had waited a thousand years for this to come. The Dance was a Wolf thing, a mating ritual showing interest, but it was no use, for the sunshine tinted wolf was destined for her midnight colored match.

 

He had been at the birthing of both these wolves. In disguise, of course. Should anyone know of the importance of these two wolves, then the Shadows would most definitely hear of it. These two wolves were important, Chuck knew. They would bring forth the only person who could lead this world to victory, when the world finally emerged out of its Golden Age and the ugly head of evil reared its head.

 

The White Wolf.

* * *

 

Far away, in a castle in the sky, Archangel Michael smiled, his eyes lighting up with love and affection and everything an angel could possibly feel when his mate was pregnant with his child. All this was directed at his wife, Anael.

 

“Anael, I cannot wait until our child is born.”

 

“Likewise, my love. I am rather eager to finally see him.”

 

“So our child is a boy?”

 

Anael smiled, fondly at her husband.

 

“Yes, our child is a boy. We just need to wait for the Owl to come meet us,” she said, and as she did so, Chuck flew in.

 

For a few seconds he watched the two angels who watched him in return. Then in a quick moment, he shed all his feathers and morphed into the humanoid form that he had a tendency to use around Michael and Anael.

 

“You came!” said Anael, hugging the man tightly.

 

Chuck was rather short as a human, with a scruffy beard and big eyes that resembled his favorite form the Owl. “Of course. Anything for my favorite angel.” Anael had always been favored by Chuck. He liked to think it had less to do with what she would give birth to and more to do with her charm. Anael’s hair was like the fiery sun and eyes that sparkled like the Jellyfish Sea when all the Jellyfish migrated for the winter. She was joyous and full of life. Chuck hadn’t been surprised when Michael, who’d been an uncanny individual, fell irrevocably in love with her.

 

“Have you thought of a name?” asked Michael, his normally strong feature having softened at the thought of his child.

 

It wasn’t often that Chuck actually spouted prophecy, but he knew this was important, so he said, “He is more than he is to be. He will shine brighter than all angels. He will fight through the murky Underground. He will raise his hand and all will come down. He is the Sun and he will find his Moon. And forever, they will guide this world into peace and prosperity.”

 

Anael gasped in awe.

 

“Beware, of this he cannot know. His Moon’s identity must remain a secret as they must find themselves, and find each other by heart alone.”

 

Michael nodded, “What are we to tell our people?”

 

“That the sun has risen, and it shall never set,” Chuck said. “The Prince must be protected from others and himself. Care for him as you most obviously will, but know this. There are those who do not wish for his ascent.”

 

“I shall train him in everything I know. What I do not, my closest friends shall do so,” said Michael, and Chuck nodded.

 

“Godspeed, Archangel Michael and Queen Anael. Your son, who shall have your eyes,” he told Anael, “And hair like the midnight sky, shall be named forever more….”

 

Anael and Michael waited in awe and excitement.

 

“Castiel.”

 

 

One Year Later

 

Chuck eyed John Winchester with mild amusement before John bowed his head in respect. He knew alphas typically did not bow down to anyone, and he appreciated the sentiment. Even now, the wolf watched the Owl with such distrust that he had began to assume it was a Winchester’s most characteristic feature. After all the action Azazeal had taken to kill his mate, the distrust was rather natural, all things considering. The past year had been difficult for John and Mary, but it would all be worth it in the long run.

 

“Rise John Winchester,” said Chuck. “We both know why I am here, and this is better done in the cave.” John studied him carefully for a moment. Had Chuck been a lesser being, he would have quickly darted away. It was the look of an alpha-wolf protecting his child and mate, and clearly not one he wished to mess with. However, Chuck was Chuck, and he stood his ground, so he said “Lead the way, Alpha.”  It was John’s love for Mary- all-pervasive and all consuming - that had Chuck’s knees vibrating in apprehension. Had this been another world, John would have been a man on a mission. A mission of vengeance that would eventually consume the whole world.

 

Chuck knew this was not that reality, not the one where John drove across the country hunting down his chance for revenge, but forgetting his children in the ways it mattered the most. He was not a meager writer-prophet trying to live his life by avoiding his visions. John was not a father out to kill the yellow eyed man who consumed the life of his wife and poisoned his son. That reality would not come to be. Not here. Chuck’s lips twitched slightly as John led him into the cave, turning quickly to wave his hands across the entrance.

 

“What are you doing?” asked John, his voice thick, as if he hadn’t slept for days.

 

“Ensuring that no one who wishes to harm your mate, your newborn or you will be able to enter. As I told you before, a game’s afoot, John,” Chuck said, his lips quirking. He knew that his references flew over the heads of the creatures of this world. But he couldn’t resist.

 

John nodded, gratefulness flashing through his eyes before he went back to his default look: distrust.

 

Chuck’s respect made John relax a bit. “After you, Alpha,” he said.

 

When Chuck finally made it to the part of the cave where Mary lay, his heart skipped a beat. Mary, the mother-to-be of the two sons (one of which he would have to wait four years to meet) who would save this world. She lay on a small bed made of hay. Even now, closing in on the end of her 9 months, she was beautiful.

 

“Hello, Lord of the Forest,” said Mary quietly. Her eyes were respectfully downcast, but Chuck could feel the love and the excitement reverberating through her whole being.

 

Chuck felt his heart melt slightly at the sight of her. Among the Wolves, he was known as the Lord of the Forest, due to his tendency to stay in the forest.

 

“Hello Mary. As you probably already know, something big is about to happen.”

 

John seated himself next to Mary.

 

“You both know of the tale of the White Wolf, I’m assuming?” Chuck said, only continuing when they nodded.

 

“Your son is destined to be the next in line.”

 

Mary gasped in awe.

 

John hushed her, already seeming to know there was more.

 

“The white wolf will be the moon, and is destined to lead the wolves. He will lead them with tender heart and paw. He will watch with eyes, forest green, and feel the groans of the world. And then one day, he will find his mate, in the ever burning Sun. The Moon, and the Sun will then collide and lead this entire world into the Light once again.”

 

Mary’s eyes filled with tears. Both of joy and sadness. It was obvious that she was happy that her son would be the Wolf of the Moon. He would be the wolf the entire werewolf population was waiting for, but she couldn’t help but feel sad, because she didn’t want that weight for anyone. The weight of the fate of an entire world, hanging in the balance between two young children.

 

Outside, there was a gentle breeze, but it was filled with the excitement of an entire world, the air was tense with hope and something that Chuck could not put a finger on. John’s ears twitched slightly, and it was only then that Chuck realized that he too felt the tension in the air and had shifted accordingly. Chuck looked back at Mary, who was glowing with a light that didn’t come from the child in her womb.

 

“He will be a happy boy. He will love so much it will fill his soul to the brim. Those he lets in are his family, and for him, family will be everything. His instincts will rarely go wrong. Do not fret, Mother of the White Wolf, because your son will grow to be a fine man. A fine wolf. But take care, for as you already know, Azazeal wants you dead for the son you bear. Take care John Winchester, for there are those out there, who want to kill them both. Be their alpha, be their father, and keep them safe.” Chuck concluded, “The world rests on the shoulders of that unborn child.”

 

John nodded, his eyes filling with the same determination he had seen in the John from that other reality. But here, he had faith. He had love. He had family. And this time, in this world, in this life, John would never ever let anything happen to his family. And nothing would get past him.

 

“Would you like to name him, Lord?” said John, his voice strong.

 

It was an unexpected honour. In the angel tradition, it was normal to give the right to name a child to Chuck or beings of equal power. Angel-folk never had many children, but Chuck could count quite a few that he himself had named. However, in wolf tradition, it was a customary honour given to the Alpha of the clan, and John had become the Alpha the moment he defeated Azazeal in battle. Simply put, John giving Chuck this honour surprised him. He always loved it when he didn’t See something before it happened. He enjoyed that surprise. Delighted in it.

 

“It would be an honour, Alpha,” Chuck said, and John’s eyes gleamed in pride. Chuck, the Prophet, would name a wolf child. This had never happened before.

 

It only seemed right that it happened now.

 

“He is so bright. I wish you could see his soul. May I bless him as well?” Chuck said softly. That was another surprise. Chuck almost never blessed anyone. Castiel himself had been given a minor blessing, a kiss on the forehead that symbolized intelligence.

 

Mary nodded, looking for all the world like she was going to cry.

 

Chuck really hoped she wouldn’t. He was very bad around weeping women.

 

Chuck grinned almost childishly, delighted at doing this again. “He will see what no one has ever seen and should ever see. He will agree to what has never happened. What I wish with all my heart will never happen. He will give, and give and give. But there will come a day, when he will need faith. He will find that in the Sun, yes. But he will also need a helping hand. Wherever he goes all he needs to do is want, to need, and he will get it. He will get whatever aid he may need for the journey I wish he never has to endure.”

 

“He will outshine the Sun, more often than not with that radiant soul he has. And this radiant soul will forever be named….”

 

Dean.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	2. Never Grow Up

Living in the Angel Kingdom was not easy, particularly for a boy like Castiel. Just as Chuck had said, he had his mother’s eyes and his father’s hair. His wings were bigger than his body, causing him to trip over them more often than not. Everyone in the castle cooed over how cute he was, but three year old Castiel didn’t want to be cute. He wanted to be powerful like his Daddy.

 

Castiel found friends in his cousin Gabriel, and Gabriel’s best friend Balthazar. The two were always up to some mischief, and Castiel was always amused by their antics. Gabriel and Balthazar were a year older than Castiel. Gabriel had hair the colour of the honey-toffees his mother always gave them, and sparkly green-ish eyes. Balthazar had hair the colour of the Tear Desert, and his eyes were the colour of ice the Angels brought from the Northern Snowlands.

 

While Castiel loved spending time with both of them, his favorite time of the day was the night. His father’s friend, Inias, would take him up to the Astronomy Tower and show him the stars. But Castiel always found himself besotted with the moon. Once, he asked his father before he went to sleep, “Why does the moon disappear?”

 

Michael had watched his son quietly for a while and said, “Because he is looking for someone.”

 

Castiel’s eyes widened.

 

“Wait. I’ll tell you the story. Let me just tell your Mother to go to bed without me.” Castiel nodded, excited. He loved his father’s stories. Michael returned in a few moments and sat down next to his son.

 

“Are you comfortable?” asked Michael, with a small smile. Castiel nodded again, his big blue eyes focused completely on his father.

 

_Once upon a time, there was an angel. His wings were as dark as the midnight sky, as was his hair._

 

“Just like me!” said Castiel, excitedly. Michael eyes seemed to dim slightly, almost sad, and nodded.

 

_He was the angel of the Sun, and he loved the duty assigned to him. He could bring light to the life of so many creatures, and so much life revolved around the sun. He was bright, and fierce, and his light illuminated the land. His grace was brighter still. It was, as you know Castiel, very rare for angels to have graces that were brighter than souls, but this angel did._

 

_He flew across the world, taking in the sights, the feelings and the love that the world held. Some part of him felt…odd. During the day, he was the Sun. During the night he was a mere angel. So he could travel in the night as well._

 

_So one night, he set off to find whatever his heart was longing for._

 

_At first, he thought he was hungry, but when that idea failed, he tried other options. Until finally, he realized he was lonely. He saw millions of creatures in love and being loved every day, but he had no one to feel that way about, or to feel that way about him._

 

_So every night he went out to find someone who would love him the way he wanted them to. Someone who he could love with all his might._

 

_And one day, that small wish of the Sun’s came true._

 

Michael stopped.

 

Castiel stared at his father with tired eyes. “Go on father! Continue!”

 

Michael smiled, and said, “I’ll finish the story tomorrow, alright, or whenever it is I’m free. Remind me.” Castiel nodded sleepily, and he was soon lost to the land of sleep and dreams where he dreamt of being the Sun flying across the sky.

 

And so the days went on.

 

His father had to deal with a delegate from one of the Angel colonies out on the islands that floated on the Jellyfish Sea. It took a few days, and Castiel knew his father, being the king and all, was very busy. So he patiently waited for his father to finish the story in his own time.

 

The day came much later that Castiel expected. Michael appeared one day, several months after Castiel’s fifth birthday and said, “Castiel, I apologize. I was so busy that I forgot to finish the story.”

 

Castiel smiled brightly and said, “You were busy, Father. That’s alright. I had much to do with sword practice, and astronomy, and my other lessons as well.”

 

Michael smiled, and sat down on the bed next to Castiel, pulling him in so that his head was resting on Michael’s shoulders.

 

“Now, do you remember where we left off?” Michael asked.

 

“The Sun found his wish?”

 

“Ah yes.”

 

_One night, the angel of the Sun was flying over the colony of Wolves, and something caught his eye._

 

_The moon._

 

_If he controlled the Sun, then who controlled the Moon?_

 

_He slowly came down to the wolf colony, wondering if they would know the answer._

 

_After being growled at for some time, he finally got an answer from the Alpha._

 

_“Our Alpha does.”_

 

_He was surprised. “Are you not this clan’s alpha?” he asked._

 

_The wolf chuckled. “No, I am an alpha, but not this clan’s Alpha. He is up there. He controls the moon. Come, I will introduce you, Angel of the Sun.”_

 

_The angel nodded, and he followed the wolf to the top of the mountain known as Half-Moon Mountain._

 

Castiel gasped. “You mean the one that I can see from my window, Father?”

 

Michael nodded, and with a flick of his hands, the curtains that blocked out the view of the night opened up to show Half Moon Mountain. It glowed with an impossible light, almost like it was pulsing like a heartbeat.

 

_It was on that very mountain that the Angel of the Sun first met the Wolf of the Moon. The wolf was not in wolf form, as the alpha that had guided the Angel here was. Instead, he was in his other form, the form that looked very alike to the Angel’s, except for the lack of wings._

 

_His eyes were the green of the lush Rainforest of Taar, and his short hair was the colour of the wet sandy beach of Kaleido, where the angel enjoyed spending most of his time._

 

“You mean the beach that we go to every summer, father?” asked Castiel, his smile bright in awe.

 

Michael looked straight at his son, his lips curved in a smiled, but not reaching his eyes. Castiel could not see the sadness in those eyes. He didn’t realize that this was not just an ordinary story. Castiel didn’t realize this was the first time he informed Michael of his destiny with the Wolf of the Moon.

 

Maybe their story wouldn’t be the same. Maybe they’d live happily ever after, or maybe they wouldn’t. Maybe it would be the same. Castiel, at this age, had no way of knowing any of this.

 

_The angel’s heart skipped a beat as those green eyes focused on him._

 

_“Hey,” said the wolf, and the angel nodded._

 

_The other alpha had slowly slunk back into the woods, and as night became day, the two lonely souls became friends._

 

Castiel smiled brightly.

 

“And they lived happily ever after, right Father?”

 

Michael shook his head.

 

_After many months, the two finally told each other about their true feelings. They were so in love they did not realize the Shadows were threatening to kill them all._

 

_And so, one day, the angel disappeared. The sun rose and set as it was wont to, but the angel was nowhere to be found. Every night the wolf looked for his beloved, driven mad with longing and loneliness._

 

_He never noticed that slowly, the moon would wane as he searched. Slowly, the moon became smaller and smaller, every night looking more like someone was physically destroying it, eating the light it gave off._

 

_When he was informed of the after-effects of his search, the wolf stood silently at the top of Half-Moon Mountain, and took in them in. As he watched the moon turn back to its original shape, he found that the loneliness was setting in once again. He wanted to see his Angel again, play with him, love him. He didn’t care if the moon would slowly wane. As long as he came back to the mountain before it disappeared for too long, it would be ok._

 

_The wolf swore he would never stop searching, and he never has._

 

“The wolf loved the angel very much, didn’t he?” asked Castiel.

 

Michael sighed, as he got up. “Enough to die for him.”

 

Castiel made a sad face as he looked out at the mountain.

 

“Father?” he said, quietly.

 

Michael turned, “Yes, Castiel?”

 

“The wolf must be very sad and alone, up on that mountain without his Angel. When I grow up and when I can fly, I’ll find him and tell him that we can be friends! Do you think he’d want to?” asked Castiel, excitedly.

 

Michael nodded, watching his son with sad eyes. “I think he’d like that very much Castiel.”

 

Michael kissed Castiel on the top of his head, making the boy giggle. If Michael left the room with tears of sadness in his eyes, and fear for his son in his heart, Castiel would never know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	3. Heartbreak Warfare

Rage coursed through his veins. How dare they do this? How dare that stupid, annoying, little prat Azazeal fail at one of the simplest jobs he could have given him? It wasn’t that difficult to kill two wolves. A Shadow Child could have accomplished the job with ease.

 

Lucifer glared out of his window, gazing upon the lands that he ruled in the Shadow Country. He had been exiled here by his Father, defeated by that ass-kissing brother of his, Michael, who no doubt was ruling the angels now.

 

All Lucifer wanted was the world his Father created. If Lucifer thought the Wolves were deformed little monstrosities that had no right to live in this world, then they didn’t. Stupid furry little creatures padding around the world with their stupid pack mentality, and free will, and all that nonsense. Lucifer roared in anger, slamming his fist against the wall of his castle, which had been called the Cage, mainly because he couldn’t leave his castle.

 

When the First War reached its conclusion, and Lucifer’s army were forced to retreat to the Shadow Lands, two creatures- an Angel and a Wolf- had used a sword- the Morning Star sword, to wound him fatally enough for them to trap him in the castle for all eternity. The Angel and Wolf had died from the amount of power the spell had taken, but Lucifer had been left in the Cage to boil in his anger for years and years.

 

And now, years… decades of planning, had been set back years, because of the incompetence of one measly Shadow.

 

“Sire,” said a voice.

 

Lucifer turned to see Crowley and his pet, Growley. He never understood why the Shadow had chosen to name him that, but Crowley had always had an odd sense of humour. “What do you want Crowley?”

 

“Well, I want a lot of things. Right now, I heard about Azazeal’s stupidity. I came to ask for permission to sic Growley on him. The old chap never did like the idiot.”

 

Lucifer watched Crowley with careful eyes. Crowley had started out as nothing but a Dealer, a Shadow who tricked and fooled non-Shadows into selling their souls to gain their dreams, only to become Shadows themselves after a period of time.

 

Crowley, somehow, climbed the ladder of Shadow society, and became one of Lucifer’s generals. He had a quick mind, was easily able to trick anyone and everyone, and was good at making people do exactly what he wanted them to.

 

He was a lot like Lucifer himself that way. It was exactly why he had chosen to keep the Shadow close to him.

 

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, after all. Crowley was incredibly intelligent. He didn’t exactly follow Lucifer’s orders, but the end result was the same and always made him look good. In return, Crowley continued to do whatever he wanted and got whatever he wanted from the missions he went on. Lucifer would never trust himself, and so he didn’t trust Crowley. The Shadow’s brilliance was dangerous.

 

Lucifer watched Crowley for another moment, and said, “I’ll consider it. Thank you for the offer. I doubt that would be good for Growley’s stomach anyway.”

 

Lucifer needed to keep Azazeal in case he proved to be useful eventually.

 

Crowley nodded, and left the room. Lucifer stared at the door for a moment, and shook himself out of his thoughts. There were important things to do. Azazeal had messed up his chess board. A new Queen would have to be found.

 

The sun never rose in the Shadow Lands.

 

Lucifer frowned. That was an oddly random thought... and suddenly, everything made sense.

 

The Sun. It would never last in the Shadow Lands.

 

Azazeal’s mistake may have ruined the original plan, but the new plan would be much more fun. Maybe Crowley would be of more use than Lucifer thought he would let him be. His eyes glowed like a panther’s in the dark.

 

“My day will come, Michael. Just you wait and watch. I will destroy everything you hold dear, and then we will see who is the true ruler of the Angels.”

 

Lucifer’s laughter echoed through all of the Shadow Lands.

 

It frightened the Ravens out of the trees and every Shadow snapped to attention. Lucifer was laughing. He had a plan and they all burst into cheers. Their leader would lead them to power.

 

If only they knew how sinister Lucifer’s plans would be.

 

* * *

 

Crowley stood in his own room, shaking his head. He knew the truth. Lucifer’s plan was never to bring the Shadows out of the Shadow Lands, and Crowley planned to stop him if it was the last thing he did. Next to him, Growley snapped at the bones of whatever creature Crowley had given him, oblivious to his master’s inner musings.

 

Crowley frowned. The only way was to wait it out. Wait for the Sun and the Moon to grow up, and take up their roles. While they did so, he’d figure out a way to convince them to work with him to destroy Lucifer. But that was an idea for another day. He had work to do, and a Shadow to hunt down. Lucifer may have said that he didn’t need Growley to kill Azazeal, but that didn’t mean Crowley wouldn’t.

 

The life span of a Shadow was surprisingly small. At least, where Crowley was concerned. You made a mistake, and you died. As simple as that. Azazeal had been a thorn in his side much longer that necessary and finally, the dratted pest had failed. He would make his way to the small cottage out at The Abbey, a small settlement close to the edge of the Shadow Lands, and call in a favour from a good friend of his.

 

He most definitely did not belong in the Shadow Lands. Aziraphale was far too good for it, for him, but he stayed there anyway. No one knew about him, and Crowley would keep it that way. Foolish Zira would do what Crowley wanted, because for some dratted reason, the foolish angel loved him. Crowley couldn’t let him. He had told him so several times. Lucifer would soon mark him as Public Enemy number one, and he refused to bring Aziraphale down with him. But Zira refused to listen to reason.

 

Crowley’s shoulders slumped slightly as he exhaled, but his fingers tightened around the scarf he had taken from Aziraphale for when they couldn’t see each other. Someday, he would do right by the angel. Someday, he wouldn’t visit him only when he needed a favour because he was too scared to go there often, in fear that Zira would be targeted or he would fall even deeper into this pit he had dug himself into. He let out a self-deprecating laugh. An Angel and a Shadow? It was a tragedy waiting to happen, but he couldn’t stop it. Not yet.

 

“Come along Growley. Let’s go for a walk.” If the Shadow had noticed Growley picked up the chew toy Aziraphale made for him, almost as if Growley knew that those words meant they were visiting Aziraphale, he refused to ponder on it.

 

He had work to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	4. All The Best Of You

It was in the middle of a patch of cherry trees that Mary gave birth to a healthy boy, who was named, as the Lord of the Forest deemed it, Dean.

 

Dean grew up with everything he could possibly want. Mary and his pseudo-mother Ellen showered him with attention. He befriended the other pups easily, and was quickly deemed the Alpha of their group. Dean showed traits of a strong alpha from the time he was able to walk.

 

John never really took much heed of Dean, as he was deeply involved in Migration plans, and Protection Schemes. Dean would end up pulling many different stunts to get his father to pay attention to him, but to no avail. John was more or less married to his work as an Alpha, and eventually Dean slowly started to give up on that front.

 

Mary would watch her son with sad eyes, as he would look at the opening of their cave as if he was waiting for his father. At this time, Mary was pregnant with yet another child, who she planned to name Sam. Hopefully, she thought, Sam would be the boost Dean needed.

 

Regardless of the fact that he was an alpha, Dean went out of his way to take care of the people around him. A typical alpha radiated power, while betas radiated the motherly aura that both Ellen and Mary had. Dean was an odd mix of both. He preferred to radiate an aura of warmth that would end up drawing people to him, and when necessary, there were glimpses of his alpha nature.

 

It was Dean, at his tender age of four, who helped his mother give birth to Sam while John was away on some work. It was Dean who first held Sam, cleaning him and covering him up with clothes that Mary had made. It was Dean who went around doing Mary’s work for the next two weeks so she could recuperate. Mary felt horrible about it, and insisted Dean go out and play with the other pups. When Dean looked at her with a smile, his lips stretching widely, but not quite reaching his eyes, and said, “Don’t worry, Mom! I’ll protect you! Then Dad will be proud of me, right?” Mary’s heart broke.

 

As they grew, Dean’s group of friends slowly began to follow his lead. They’d help out at home, help Dean take care of Sam, and bring little toys from the forest for the baby to play with.

Mary was surprised they all did so, but considering how well Dean led his small pack of pups, she wasn’t surprised for long. It was Dean’s pseudo-beta nature that kept him from trouble. Sure, there were times he got into fights, but they were usually more for the protection of his own friends and less for his own benefit.

 

Most of the pack disapproved of John’s tendency to never pay any attention to Dean. They didn’t think it was good for Dean to mellow down his natural alpha tendencies in the hope that his father noticed him. And so, even if Dean occasionally got into fights, they never sent him to John. Dean’s wolf was already unsteady and hurting and wouldn’t be able to take his father’s disapproval. It could very well kill him.

 

This got the attention of a dark grey wolf named Bobby Singer, one of John’s closest friends. He didn’t approve of what John was doing one bit, and stepped in to be Dean’s mentor for the time being. His own mate had passed away because of Azazel, and had never had pups of his own. The pack approved, because Bobby was not only strong but resourceful. And so, Sam and Dean spent a lot of their time with Bobby, learning the ropes of being a wolf.

 

Sam ended up centering his entire world around Dean. It was a natural reaction, because Sam was always around Dean and Mary, making  Dean appear as a sort of pseudo-father to the boy. There was always a tension between John and Sam. Where Dean learnt to mellow down his alpha side to get along with John, Sam did no such thing. For Sam, Mary and Dean were his pack. John was an outsider, and an alpha who wished to steal them away from him.

 

It had been Dean who had helped him during his first steps, Dean who had held him close during his first thunderstorm, Dean who had been the first to scent him, even before Mary had. John did nothing but make Dean hurt. He never lifted a finger but Sam could smell the sadness and the pain that rose from Dean’s skin like smoke from a fire, enraging the alpha in him. In Sam’s eyes, Dean practically raised him. While Mary nurtured him, Dean was the one who taught Sam the ways of the Forest, which Dean had been forced to learn by himself until Bobby stepped in. Dean always protected Sam, keeping away meaner pups who thought it would be fun to hurt him.

 

John had no place in any of it.

 

Sam refused to let him have a place in it.

 

More often than not, twelve year old Dean would sit in a corner, his eyes shut tightly as John roared at 8 year old Sam, who only roared back. Mary would try and stop them, to tell them to let it be.

 

Sam hated it. Hated that Dean was so willing to let this man back in, when all he did was hurt him. Sam wouldn’t do that to Dean; he loved Dean. He would never ever leave Dean.

 

But what neither wolf realized was that by fighting, they were only hurting Dean more. Mary could see fear in Dean’s eyes when John walked away, fear that his father would never come back again.

 

Dean always tried his best to stop it, but Mary could tell that the fights were having an effect on him as well. Finally, she approached John and gave him a final warning.

 

“John, all you’re doing is hurting them. You have to stop this. You can’t keep leaving. The pack needs you. Dean and Sam need you. You’ve not seen his face, John, after you leave. So, this is an ultimatum. Stay or never come back. Dean can’t take this fighting anymore and he’s pushed down his alpha needs for so long that it’s starting to tear him apart.”

 

Mary refused to let that happen. Her accusation moved John to tell her the whole story. He’d been scouting the surrounding areas not just because he was the Alpha. Dean was the Moon, so naturally, there were creatures out there that may or may not be aware of his existence. These creatures, if they knew of him, could end up doing more harm than good to Dean, regardless of whether they wanted him to achieve his destiny or not. In his search, John found a small area not far from their current campsite. He saved a few witches a few years back, and had gone to collect his reward. They had agreed to bless the land so that no creature with ill-intent could enter it. He had spent this entire time trying to protect them. He felt bad for misleading them, and for hurting Dean.

 

Mary nodded, but her her face was grave. “You have to tell Dean.”

 

“That wouldn’t be wise, Mary. I’ll tell him what I’ve been doing, but not the why. We can’t risk his life,” John answered.

 

When John approached Sam and Dean and explained to them what he had been up to, how sorry he was for hurting Dean like this, and that Dean shouldn’t force himself to act like a Beta when he was an Alpha.

 

The entire time, Sam was pressed against Dean’s side, nuzzling his neck in an effort to offer comfort.

 

“I love you the way you are, Son. You don’t need to feel like you need to compensate or anything. You’re perfect the way you are.”

 

Sam glowered during the discussion, but John said, “And Sam, I don’t expect you to understand or forgive me. Just give me a chance. I would never hurt either of you intentionally. Ever.”

 

Sam nodded but went back to cuddling into Dean’s side.

 

A few months later, when the Winchesters found themselves building a new, more permanent home, Sam and John had found a way to settled their differences. Dean was slowly becoming more confident, though in Sam and Mary’s eyes he still showed signs of his earlier withdrawal.

 

And if, when his father proclaimed their new town, Lawrence, open, the Half Moon Mountain pulsed with fierce intensity, no one but Mary noticed.  

 

The moment Dean grinned, his face literally glowing in joy at the new town to call his own, the mountain slowly became more and more illuminated, almost like someone had planted stars into the soil which had given birth to star trees that listened to the joy of the Moon.

 

Only Mary noticed the Owl flying over their new town that night. Only Mary noticed that the Moon shone with a brightness that shouldn’t have been possible. Only Mary noticed that her son was slowly, and steadily coming closer to his fourteenth year, and was coming into his Destiny.

 

If only they could protect him from what was to come. Mary sighed, and looked at the Owl, with sad blue eyes. The owl hooted and flew off into the night, but not before leaving Mary with a sense of comfort. She turned to the small home they had all built and walked towards it, towards her family, with a small smile on her face. Whatever was to come, they couldn’t change it. But what they could do was help Dean prepare himself for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	5. On My Way

Every angel needed to fly before they were considered adults. It was a tradition passed on from generation to generation. When angels reached a particular age, their wings became bigger to hold their weight, and puffed up with more feathers.

 

Angel hierarchy worked differently from other hierarchies in the other world, the world that God had originally based this world on. Power was based on the number of wings you had. An Archangel had 8 wings, A Seraph had 6, a Dominion had 4. All angels had at least 4 wings.

 

Castiel’s wings were black, unlike Gabriel’s, whose were a shade of sandy brown, and Balthazar’s, whose were dark brown. Their wings were extremely different, number wise. Gabriel had eight wings, making him one of the more powerful angels; an Archangel. Balthazar had six wings, making him a Seraph, the second most powerful angel. Castiel, with his single pair of wings, was special. He had the largest wings ever seen in the kingdom, and only had two.

 

There had only ever been one other angel with wings similar to Castiel’s. His name was lost to the pages of history many centuries ago, but remembered by the name the kingdom had given him after his heroic deed; Metatron. Metatron’s most unique feature had been his wings, and so overtime it seemed right that they called Castiel a Metatron as well, because that was the only name they had.

 

Castiel, Balthazar, and Gabriel were around the age angels started attending flying lessons. Similar to all other classes, the noble angels attended lessons in the castle, and this one had both theory and practical importance. In the past year, the three friends studied anatomy of wings, learnt the quirks of their respective wings, and how to groom themselves and others.

 

And finally, the day had come to put all the knowledge they had acquired to use. Once Castiel passed this test- he had to fly across the mountains and come back- Michael would continue the tradition passed on from generation to generation in the royal family. Castiel would become another angel’s ward and travel with them till he was deemed fit to rule, or had achieved his destiny, whichever came first.

 

Castiel personally hoped all three of them would be placed under the care of the same angel, but he knew it wasn’t common. Michael once explained to Castiel who the possible candidates were, and of all of them, he liked Joshua, his Astronomy and Gardening/Botany Teacher best.

 

“Come on Cassie! Spread your wings! Lets fly!” said Balthazar with a cry of joy. He leapt of the edge of the cliff, laughing with glee.

 

Gabriel hooted and leapt after him, eager to join their friend in the sky.

 

Castiel’s eyes lit up as he watched his friends fly above him and spread his wings. He thought about the time that would come after they got used to the feeling of flight, and they would separate to go on their own journeys. Each angel had gotten different tasks. Castiel had to fly over the mountains, while Balthazar had to fly over the sea and Gabriel had been tasked with flying over the deserts.

 

Castiel closed his eyes and made the leap.

 

 

 

 

 

Several Kilometers Away

 

Dean slowly made the trek up through the forest. He knew the forest like the back of his hand, but the idea of not having Lawrence to go back to after a hunt, at least for now, made him slightly uncomfortable. The Walk was a sacred Were tradition, in which an adolescent wolf would officially become a man, a full-fledged wolf, once he travelled the forest alone for however long it took to change. A lot of the older wolves had told him stories about packs who had wolves who got lost. Some disappeared without a trace, either eaten, killed, or unable to change.

 

Dean liked the forest, so he knew even if he changed early, like everyone expected him to, he would travel a while longer. Thanks to what Sam called “Pack Bond”, the moment Dean changed the rest of the pack would feel the addition of a new, fully grown, pack member. Sam could feel him solely through their own brotherly bond, which had been noted by many, and considered stronger than most brother bonds.

 

John stayed true to his word and stayed after they settled in Lawrence, leaving only for monthly hunts or to scout the perimeter, but even those jobs were usually done by other pack members. John and Sam slowly began understanding each other, especially after John and Sam had a long talk one night when Dean was out with friends.

 

Dean still showed Beta tendencies sometimes, but on the whole, he was well on the way to recovering from the psychological trauma he faced as a child. Mary and Dean had always been closer than John and Dean, whose relationship, even now, was strongly based on pleasing each other.

 

Oddly enough, John had this need to keep Dean happy, almost like he was making up for the bad days. No one in the pack knew of the Prophecy made by Chuck, and John and Mary kept it that way. Though, they occasionally sent out rumours of a white wolf being spotted in various locations, in the hope that Dean wouldn’t realize how odd a white wolf would actually be.

 

Wolves were rarely white. There was a pack up in the North, where the cold permanently resided, where there were several white wolves, and so Dean would never know exactly how important he was, solely because he could assume that he was just normal.

 

Dean stretched tiredly. He was almost at his hideout. Years ago, Dean found a small clearing where he could sit and watched the stars. He wasn’t aware that this very clearing was on the very tip of Half Moon Mountain, because from the ground, the entire mountain looked like it was covered with trees. In the night, it looked like the trees themselves were pulsing like a heart. Dean himself never noticed this phenomena, because his pack had always stayed near or on the mountain itself, and never far enough for him to actually notice the phenomena.

 

Dean continued to climb up the mountain, not realizing that there was an angel flying in the sky, equally intent on reaching his hideout.

 

At the same time, the angel with abnormally large wings circled far above. He debated whether he should land, and abate his curiosity for seeing if he could meet the Moon Wolf, or if he should leave him be.

 

And far away, on the tiny floating islands on the Jellyfish Sea, an owlish man smiled to himself while he sipped on his cup of coff-tea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	6. If We Ever Meet Again

Castiel frowned at the particularly bright soul climbing up the mountain towards the clearing he was going to land in for a break. He hoped to meet the Moon Wolf, because even after all this time, Castiel truly did want the wolf to be happy. But this soul in the clearing was so bright. It was brighter than the Sun, the Moon, and all the Stars in the sky, combined.

 

As an angel, he knew seeing the souls of other creatures was normal for him, but this soul called out to him. Similar to the call of creatures residing in the Lost Sea, where he had yet to go.

 

It called to his Grace, and that scared Castiel. Was it normal for a soul to call out for angel-Grace, the same way a Grace called out to another? Dean’s soul glowed so bright, and every time it pulsed, it tugged at his Grace, calling him closer. He could feel a warmth radiating from the soul, and it filled him up. It gave him the feeling he had after he drank a large mug of coff-tea- it both woke him up and warmed him up.

 

He flew down, landing in the clearing just before the bright soul reached it.

 

“Whoa! Who are you?” said the…..wolf. It was a werewolf.

 

The wolf had short sandy hair and bright green eyes that reminded Castiel of the broken glass that the Elves of the Easter Sea made.

 

“My name is Castiel. I am an Angel of the Lord.”

 

The werewolf looked at him oddly. It was almost like he didn’t believe Castiel. His left eyebrow had lifted up slightly, in a way that reminded him of his father when he wanted Castiel to tell him the truth about one of Gabriel’s stunts. The werewolves eyes roamed his face for a moment, and then he seemed to find whatever he was looking for, because then he nodded.

 

“Ah. I’m Dean. I’m a Werewolf.”

 

“It is nice to meet you, Dean.”

 

There was an awkward pause. Dean seemed to stiffen slightly, staring right into Castiel’s eyes. Castiel had always had a staring problem. Balthazar had laughed about how it freaked people out, because it was often like he was staring into their very being. But Dean didn’t seem to mind, and only stared back into his eyes, like he was looking right at Castiel’s Grace, to the very core of it, and the thought made Castiel shiver.

 

“So, um…what are you doing here?” said the wolf.

 

Castiel tilted his head slightly. It hadn’t occurred to him that people would not know of the Angel ways. He hadn’t been out of the palace a lot, or even outside their kingdom. Dean was the first person he had met.

 

“Among my people, it is mandatory to go on a journey to whichever place is assigned to you. I was assigned the mountains. I must fly across it before I am considered a fully functional adult angel.”

 

“Oh. That’s funny,” laughed the wolf.  He wasn’t as stiff as he was earlier, and he had thrown his head back when he laughed. Castiel stared in awe at the beauty of this being. Were all beings outside his kingdom this beautiful? Dean’s hands had also loosened their hold on his satchel, and his eyes twinkled with ill concealed mirth. “We werewolves have a similar tradition. We gotta go on a journey through the forest and teach ourselves to Change.”

 

Castiel tilted his head slightly. “I’ve never seen a werewolf before.”

 

“And I’ve never seen an Angel before. Don’t you guys have….um, load of wings?”

 

Cas nodded, his wings twitching at the attention they were getting from Dean. “Yes. Many wings. I’m different.”

 

Dean nodded. His eyes roamed the expanse of Castiel’s wings, and Castiel blushed darkly under the attention. He felt the urge to spread them out for Dean, but stomped on it before his rebellious wings could do so.

 

“So I guess you make up for the lack of number with size?” Dean’s eyes were still roaming his wings, but there was a small smirk on his face that made Castiel think that he was missing out on a hidden joke. Dean’s eyes seemed to soften at the look of confusion on Castiel’s face, and his entire body seemed to relax like he had just opened himself up.

 

“My little brother, Sam, is infatuated with you guys. Never stops reading about your wings, and your grace, and what not.”

 

“And you?” asked Castiel, his lips twitching in a smile at the obvious affection in the boy’s voice.

 

Dean shrugged. “Never been one for reading or studying. I prefer to be out in the forest.”

 

Castiel smiled, shyly, looking at his feet. “I prefer to stargaze,” he offered.

 

“But you like studying,” deadpanned Dean.

 

Castiel chuckled, a sound which surprised the werewolf. Even for a teen, Castiel seemed to be very serious, with plump lips that seemed to set in a straight line and eyes that were like beams of light boring straight into your soul. Dean wouldn’t have thought that Castiel laughed.

 

“Yes, but only because I get to study what I want,” he said.

 

Dean nodded. He supposed even he would want to study if he got to choose what he studied.

 

“So you’re just resting?” asked Dean.

 

“If that is ok with you,” said Castiel, hopefully.

 

“Yeah, of course. I don’t own the place, or whatever,” said Dean, turning around to hide his flushed cheeks.

 

Castiel’s lips twitched upwards in a small smile. He was grateful that Dean had allowed him to stay in his company, in the company of his warm, enticing soul. His books had told him that wolves tended to be very territorial. “Thank you, Dean. The point of our Journey is to learn of the world outside the walls of our kingdom we are trying to protect,” he said, sitting down, near the fire Dean was starting.

 

“From what?” asked Dean, frowning.

 

“The Shadows, of course. I assumed everyone knew of them. I apologize. They are creatures of pure evil, that reside up in the Shadow Lands, where the Sun and Moon never rise,” answered Castiel.

 

“They don’t sound too bad, except for the “pure evil” bit.”

 

Castiel gazed thoughtfully into the fire.

 

“I’ve only ever heard stories, really, because as of yet I’m still considered a fledgling, and will remain as one till I finish this Journey. But….” He said, and then looked towards Dean.

 

“I’m assuming you’re eighteen, right?” he said, and Dean nodded in response.

 

“I’m nineteen,” replied Castiel. “Before we were born, there was a huge war. A war of epic proportions. The Shadows had slowly and steadily made their way out of their kingdom and were slowly taking over parts of the Light Kingdom.”

 

“Light Kingdom?” said Dean, a small smirk on his face.

 

Castiel shrugged. “This is History. I never said it was creative,” he replied, his lips twitching in amusement.

 

“Light Kingdom was the name given to the areas that were against the Shadow Lands, and the Neutral Parties, like werewolves, were all part of the Forest Kingdom. That name, obviously, came about based on the area the neutral parties lived in.”

 

Dean nodded to show his understanding and Castiel’s eyes brightened at the fact that he seemed to be getting more interested.

 

“The Light won, but the Angels have been in charge of protecting the Light Kingdom from the Shadows since then. We train our entire lives to work against the Shadow King,” said Castiel, his eyes focused on the fire again, and this time, his face was grave.

 

“Wow. I just have to make sure my clan remains safe,” said Dean, leaning back so that he was laying down on the ground. He motioned for Castiel to do the same. Castiel lay down on his stomach, so as to not dirty his wings.

 

They lay in silence for a while.

 

“Did you know that this mountain, Half Moon Mountain, glows?”

 

Dean glanced at the winged boy in surprise, “Really?”

 

“Yes. I could see it from my bedroom window. It always has. I suppose its something you wouldn’t notice unless you’re further away.  When I was younger, my father told me about the

story of the Moon Wolf and the Sun Angel.”

 

“Oh yeah, Mom used to tell me that story. I tell Sammy the story now. The Moon Wolf is a legend amongst the Werewolves. Our story is probably more Wolf based though, considering it was our clan that the Wolf came from.”

 

“Really?” said Cas, his turn to be surprised.

 

“Yeah, it goes by the name Winchester now, but earlier it went under the name of Cain. He and his brother Abel led the pack. Cain took up his responsibility as the Moon Wolf, and Abel became the alpha of the pack. They said that Abel only bowed down to Cain, and no other wolf. They truly loved each other. It was also Abel that brought the Sun Angel to Cain. Abel had given the clan the name of Cain to honour his brother, but the clan was a nomadic one, while Cain was happy on Half Moon Mountain. So, Abel decided to let the angel and Cain befriend each other so that Cain wouldn’t be lonely.” Dean continued to describe the tale that Castiel had grown to love in the version that the werewolves knew.

 

“In the end, Cain found out who took away his angel.”

 

Castiel’s eyes widened, scrambling up slightly so that he could see Dean’s face properly from the slight height that leaning on his elbows provided.“Father never told me that! Who?”

 

“Abel. Abel hadn’t meant to really, but there was a snake. A black wisp of air in the form of a snake that somehow managed to convince Abel to give away the truth of the Sun and the Moon’s relationship. And so, when he found out, Cain, in a fit of anger, killed Abel,” explained Dean.

 

Castiel gasped.

 

“Chuck came to him that night, where he stood over Abel’s dying body, sobbing in regret. He told him that he would be reborn again, as would his brother and his angel, to have another chance at living out their destinies. Cain would be brought to life as a Moonshine white wolf, Abel would be his brother, and the angel would be come to him again. Once again, they would have to fight the forces of evil. They would be born again and again till they finally defeated the Shadows for good.”

 

Castiel stared at the stars. His Grace thrummed excitedly for some odd reason. At some point, he had flipped around, disregarding the fact that his wings would get dirty. He glanced at Dean, who seemed to be worlds away. His eyes were fluttering shut, and Castiel would see his long eyelashes. He had never seen eyelashes that long, especially on a boy.

 

“Dean?”

 

“Yeah Cas?”

 

“Wait…you called me Cas.”

 

“Your name’s too long,” said Dean sleepily.

 

Cas hummed in reply and then said, “Thank you.”

 

Meanwhile, an owl flew overhead, and if anyone knew how to understand owl emotions, they’d be able to tell that it was very happy. Everything was going according to plan.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	7. Chasing the Light

Cas and Dean went their separate ways when the sun rose. Cas took off, spreading his black wings that glimmered in the sun.

 

Meanwhile, that very day, Dean managed to actually shift. He could feel his bones elongate and shift, his skull change its very nature. He could feel every hair that sprouted out of his body, every bone that finally set itself perfectly.

 

He shook his entire body, like a dog trying to shake water off itself. He moved cautiously, as if he was trying to see how this body moved, how it functioned.

 

He could see white fur and could feel his tail, could feel the earth under his paws. He raised his head and howled. Many howls answered him and he sprinted down the mountain in his wolf form, relishing the wind in his fur.

 

Cas flew over the mountains, but before he got too far, he could hear a distant howl and the collective howls of a pack. He smiled, knowing deep in his grace that Dean had managed to shift. He continued flying, met more people, visited more places, learned many things, and returned to his castle to his parents and his friends.

 

Years passed.

 

Dean trained under Bobby and his father and soon grew to be an admirable alpha; strong, powerful, and loving. He made new friends and kept the old, making his own clan within the Winchester Clan. With Sam, Jo, Pamela, Victor, and Ash, he found a wonderful circle of friends who all cared for him the way he cared for them.

 

Various betas made open advances on him, but Dean was never interested. He never knew why he thought that those blue eyes should have been bluer, or that the girl’s blonde hair should have been black. He never understood why he criticized their appearances in his head, wanting eyes bluer than the sea, uncombed, silky hair darker than the night, fingers long and elegant. He forgot about big wings that needed grooming because he forgot that the lover he was unconsciously searching for had wings. He forgot Castiel’s name, but only certain features. Once, he thought about wings, but passed it off as idiotic kinks.

 

Castiel was assigned under Joshua, just as he hoped, and he was surprised to find that Gabriel and Balthazar were also assigned to him. Joshua was kind, loving, and patient. Castiel had to admit, though, that this patience was needed when dealing with Gabriel and Balthazar.

 

The entire time, Castiel found himself staring at Half Moon Mountain, watching it pulse like a heartbeat and remembered stories of wolves, of love, and of pain. He remember sun-kissed skin, dirty blonde hair, bottle green eyes, and freckles like the stars above that he wanted to count and form constellations with. He didn’t know why. He couldn’t remember the boy named Dean who told him the story of Cain, and assumed he had read it somewhere. He couldn’t remember who Dean was, and just his gorgeous bright soul.

 

Eventually, they both forgot. Only when Dean was being approached as a mate, would Dean suddenly think of those features, and only when Castiel gazed up at the sky and at the moon would he remember the brightest soul of all.

 

While all of this was happening, Crowley and Aziraphale continued their attempts at planning Lucifer’s fall. They found themselves waiting for the Saviours to rise, for the Sun and the Moon to once again come to power in the Shadow Lands.

 

And the world as a whole, waited in baited breath, as Nature knew what was to come.

 

Bloody times would come to pass, and if it went well, there would be a Golden Era.

 

If the Saviours failed, then the world would once again be at the mercy of Lucifer and his Shadows.

 

And as this all happened, Chuck sat in front of his Scribe, a blonde Elf called Becky of the Rose, and spoke of times that had come to pass, and times that would come to pass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	8. If You Could See Me Now

He had been the last to be born, in the end, but no one ever considered him the youngest.  Chuck was always considered something far older, and sometimes, he felt it too. He felt it in his bones, his skin, his thoughts. The weight of the world, of knowing everything he didn’t need to, exhausted him.

 

He’d flown across this world, seen everything that was created and everything that would be created. On one of those journeys that Chuck happened to visit the Elves. This wasn’t the first time he had visited them. Quite the opposite.

 

The elves were the only people who lived almost as long as he did. Meaning they were the only ones he could befriend and not come back later (for him time worked very differently) and find out they died.

 

This time around, it was the first time he met Becky of the Rose.

 

Chuck had a name with the Elves, and he had been adopted into the family of Elves that called themselves Shurley. He had gone to visit his family and it just so happened that Becky of the Rose had been visiting.

 

Becky was blonde, and tall, just like all the Elves, but she had a different kind of beauty to her. She wasn’t elegant like the other women were expected to be. She was slightly clumsy, awkward, and easily excitable, but Chuck found these traits....adorable. They amused him, but at the same time, he found himself getting more and more interested in her. Becky liked what he did, and she liked his stories.

 

Becky didn’t look at him in hidden fear like some of the elves, or curiosity like the others. She didn’t consider him something greater than her. For her, he was a friend. A friend with stories that tended to come true, but a friend all the same.

 

Chuck had never had a friend. Anael was more like a sister who he liked to visit every now and then, and in every sense, they behaved that way too. Anael treated him like an older brother, but there was still a sense of respect she had for him that had more to do with what he was, rather than who he was.

 

Becky liked him because of who he was, and not the role God had given him.

 

Chuck spent five months there. He never spent that long a period in any place other than his home on the Jellyfish Sea. By the end of it, he asked Becky if she would like to come with him. “I mean, I get it if you want to stay. I don’t really do a lot other than write at home, and there will be days that I’ll be gone for hours, but more often than not, I’m not at home for months. So I understand if you’d rather not but...” Chuck mumbled, looking at his feet. He really had no clue what he was doing.

 

Becky, however, surprised him, like she always did, and jumped at him, hugging him tightly. “Yes! Yesyesyesyes!” she said, laughing breathlessly.

 

Chuck wasn’t sure what he had done to make her this happy. All he knew was that he’d try to keep her that way.

 

It took 3 more months for Chuck to work up the courage to ask her parents for their permission. He explained to them how he needed a scribe.

 

“I write a lot. So sometimes I end up excluding essential details because my arms are too tired. Becky writes at the speed of light, and she enjoys my stories anyway. So I was kind of hoping you’d let me take her with me. Of course, I’d let her visit. I’m gone for months on a stretch sometimes, so I’d drop her off before leaving, but I thought it would be appropriate to ask for your permission because Becky’s not reached her Age yet, right?”

 

Elves aged differently than other species, but there was a certain age at which they became adults of sorts. Becky was going to come of age soon, so since she couldn’t make that decision, Chuck had to ask her parents.

 

“Have you asked her what she wants?” Becky’s father asked.

 

“I have. I told her to wait, and that I would ask you as well.”

 

Becky’s mother smiled. Chuck found himself feeling very worried. Why was everyone smiling at him like that?

 

He only wanted his friend to come live with him.

 

It wasn’t like he was asking for her hand in marriage.

 

There was a small pause.

 

“I’m aware you don’t stay in a place too long, Charles,” said her father, and Chuck tried to not wince. He hated being called Charles. But that was his Elven name. Unfortunately.

 

“I don’t.”

 

“But if you could,” said her mother, hopefully, “Could you wait till she comes of age? Just another month or two. Then we’ll willingly let her go.”

 

Chuck nodded, understanding that there was some kind of Elven tradition here he was supposed to follow.

 

“I may have to leave for a month or two, actually. But once i finish that work, I’ll come here to pick her up. Would that be alright?” Chuck asked. He really did need to go check up on the Northern Wolf Clans.

 

Becky’s father nodded.

 

“I understand. That’s absolutely alright.”

 

Chuck smiled.

 

Even if he had to deal with Becky throwing things at him when he told her he had to leave for a while, in the end, he was sure she was worth it. That this was worth it.

 

He didn’t need his Sight to see that.

 

And that’s how he found himself, five months later, seated across from the very elf who had changed his life.

 

Chuck smiled slightly.

 

“Chuck, stop getting distracted! Pay attention! We were at the part that Castiel and Dean meet!” said Becky, glaring at Chuck.

 

“I was thinking about how we met.”

 

Becky’s lips curled in a smile that he could only describe as shy.

 

“As sweet as that is, Chuck, we really should get this done. How else can we go for that swim we were thinking about?”

 

Chuck smiled, taking a deep sip of his coff-tea and nodded. Becky was always making sure he did his job and didn’t get distracted from it. What would he do without her?

 

He looked at Becky, who was looking at him with an impatient look, and decided that was a thought process for later on.

 

“Well then. Let’s get on with the story.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	9. Like Ships in the Night

Dean laughed, running ahead of Jo and Sam as they raced up to the town. They had been on patrol duty for a large part of the night, and now that it was dawn, their patrol had ended.The three were used to all nighters, though they all liked their sleep.

 

“We can sleep for at LEAST 5 hours today. I refuse to wake up any sooner,” said Sam, stretching as they all stopped at the first house of the town.

 

“Doubt you’ll be able to, Gigantor. Dad said there are some angels coming to meet us today. You sure you want to miss?” said Dean, grinning.

 

Jo snorted. It was no secret that Sam was enamoured by everything that was angelic, from their culture down to their wings. He went fanboy on everything John happened to come across that had angelic value.

 

Sam just glared at him. “Jerk.”

 

“Bitch,” said Dean grinning.

 

Jo rolled her eyes. “Come on guys! We better get to it! John and Mum did say that they wanted us to get introduced to the angels.”

 

The angels were going to be staying with them for a while. John and the Alpha of the small group that had arrived, mostly an hour ago, had decided that it would be beneficial considering the rising power of the Shadows.

 

The Angels could learn Werewolf techniques and the Werewolves could learn the way the Angels fought. This was something that every clan and every species was doing now. Learning each other’s fighting methods and encouraging peace and harmony in a time of unrest was of utmost importance.

 

Everyone who was old enough could remember the previous war against the Shadows in vivid detail. The bloodshed, and the lives lost. Homes burnt down, flames growing larger and larger till they reached the sky, the dusky smoke filling the air till it became too acrid to breathe.

 

Children beaten black and blue till their bruises had bruises. Their innocence torn into shreds, pieces of light shaped and molded into morbid creatures with no will. Their dreams shattered before their eyes, their hope stomped on and beaten out of them. Objects of various kinds shoved into every crevice possible, making them cry out in pain. The unlucky ones were sent to Alastair, the Shadow in charge of torture. There the Shadow slowly created works of blood and gore that were beautiful only to him.

 

Women folk were raped over and over, and forced to conceive children they wanted no connection to. Rods shoved into their bodies, making them scream in agony as the heat burnt, burnt and burnt. Their hair torn out of their scalp, their lips chapped and split from their continuous abuse. Every part of their body aching as a result of the continuous rape inflicted upon them. Bruises and scabs all over their bodies, and tens of thousands of demons came together and tore their souls and bodies apart to accommodate their cursed organs.

 

Men bent down and taken, over and over, mounted like bitches. Men hung upside down on a satanic parody of a cross, tortured slowly but surely with hook, knives, swords and heated rods. Their mouths torn open by the objects shoved in, their organs pulled out, only to be stitched in again. Their nails pulled out and their screams of agony heard by none who could help them.

 

No one wanted to go back to those days of agony, fear, torture and pain.

 

If they could avoid it they would. That was why the Alphas of the various clans around the world had discussed this. It was what led to the group of angels in Lawrence today to decide to reside here for the time being.

 

Dean quickly used some water to wash the sweat and grime of his body to make himself presentable. In the stalls adjacent to his, Sam and Jo were doing the same. Since they remained naked after they returned to their human bodies after they changed to their wolf form, they really had no problem with sharing the joined bathrooms. In order to save water, the community had come together and decided to build yet another building as a communal bathing facility.

 

They had, however, separated the washing areas into stalls in case other clans visited, since not everyone was as comfortable with their naked bodies as they were.

 

When the three finally made it to the conference hall, the angels and John seemed to have finished their discussion. John’s eyes lit up when he saw the three and motioned them forward.

Dean stood next to John and surveyed the group of angels. The apparent Alpha was the oldest looking angel, who was just slightly shorter than him with chocolate brown skin and kind eyes. His wings were the colour of  mahogany wood.

 

There were three or four other angels.

 

“Hello. I’m Joshua, the leader of this small group,” said Joshua, extending his hand.

 

“I’m Dean Winchester, and this is my little brother Sam and our closest friend Jo Harvelle.” They shook hands and Joshua introduced the angels one by one. Gabriel, a really short angel with mischievous eyes, Balthazar, a much taller angel, with a sly smirk, and Rachel, a blonde angel with bright, kind blue eyes.

 

For Dean, it was the last one that caught his eyes. Castiel. He had eyes bluer than anyone he had ever seen, dark messy hair, slim and lean body and only one set of wings. Something at the back of his mind seemed to focus on him, but he had no idea why the angel seemed so familiar. He’d pushed it to the recesses of his mind, because nothing good could come from analyzing this. That was why Dean Winchester ignored his Inner Wolf and just went on to do his job as the Alpha’s heir.

 

Dean smiled politely, guided the angels to their cabin, which had been furnished to their tastes after consulting various books. He explained to them the eccentricities of the clan, their routine, and who to ask for what. The angels remained polite, though slightly awkward, especially Castiel, who hung around the back with Joshua, just silently taking it all in. Gabriel and Balthazar attempted to make it less awkward with their jokes, but the real help in lifting the awkwardness was Rachel, who mediated and managed to not only ask Dean questions for their necessities, but also managed to answer the over-eager questions that Sam threw at them.

 

“So, Dean-o! Tell me, what does a guy do around here to have fun?” asked Balthazar, putting his arm around Dean’s shoulder. It seemed that the wolves were not the only ones who had done their research. Werewolves were physical creatures. They expressed their intentions for comradery and intimate relations through touch. That wasn’t to say that they didn’t use their words, but the Wolf in them recognized touch more. Dean assumed this was probably why Balthazar had touched him. He intended on being friends.

 

The wolf growled playfully in him, wanting to play but Dean forced it down, grinning at Balthazar who grinned back knowing that the wolf had accepted him as a friend. When Dean turned to ask Joshua if he would like to live in the cabin closest to the centre, he found that Joshua had disappeared at some point, and only Castiel, who watched him awkwardly with big, blue eyes, remained.

 

“He left with your father. They had a lot to discuss,” said Castiel, and Dean looks at him, slightly surprised.

 

At first glance, Castiel looks like a shy, young boy. A lot more like a pup, than an actual wolf. He had rugged features, yes, you could see stubble on his cheeks, and he looked really big in his giant, tan trenchcoat. He even wore big boy clothes, if that was even a term.

 

There was something about his eyes that reminded Dean of a pup. So naturally, when Castiel spoke, he found himself really surprised. No one, pup or otherwise, should be allowed to have a voice that deep. It was like the man had gargled gravel or sucked, no, Dean wasn’t going there.

 

“That’s alright, man,” said Dean grinning. “I just wanted to know if you guys would prefer to have a cabin closer to the centre or if you like a view of some kind.”

 

“Are we all staying in the same cabin?” asked Rachel, curiously.

 

“No, the cabins aren’t big enough for more than one angel. Two wolves could easily live in one, but you guys need space to spread your wings right?” said Jo, who had been walking close to Rachel, obviously doing some female bonding.

 

There weren’t a lot of girls in town who would be friends with Jo, mainly because Jo was Dean Winchester’s best friend, and Jo didn’t want to be used to get to Dean again. Dean had been really pissed when he found out Lisa’s plan- which had been to somehow get Dean to mate with her, making her the second most powerful wolf in the pack- and it had taken every bit of control he had not to attack her. He did, however, give her a piece of his mind. Lisa never approached them again.

 

“I want one near the centre!” said Gabriel brightly, from next to Sam. The sight was comical in the least, because Sam was a giant sasquatch, and Gabriel was probably half his height. Well, not really, but it looked like that.

 

“I want one too,” said Balthazar.

 

“What about you, Cassie?” asked Rachel turning to the silent angel, who had not made any effort to socialize. Dean had noticed the angel seemed more interested in Half Moon Mountain.

 

“If you’d like, there’s a cabin that faces Half Moon Mountain,” offered Dean, and Castiel eyes widened in surprise.

 

“Y-yes, I’d like that,” he muttered, quietly, and Dean grinned. His entire posture seemed to change, going from stiff and slightly awkward to relaxed and happy.

 

Rachel and Jo exchanged a knowing and amused look.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	10. Down

It didn’t take long for the angels to carve a niche in the lives of the werewolves from hanging out with Dean and his mini-pack, molly-coddling the pups.

 

Their favorite is Adam Winchester, the youngest brother of Dean and Sam. He was absolutely adorable, with wide blue eyes, chubby cheeks and spiky blonde hair. He was around 10 years old, and took to following Rachel around, and Rachel let him. When Dean asks the angels why she’s so good with him, its Castiel who answers.

 

“She has a son, Samandriel, back home. He lives with his father when Rachel comes on journeys with us,” he said.

 

“Aw, that’s absolutely adorable. The kid must be adorable, huh Cas?” said Dean, grinning as Cas’ cheeks turned slightly pink at the nickname. Dean tended to give everyone nicknames. It was a way to include people, and since Cas had been so awkward the first few days, Cas was the first one to get a nickname.

 

At first, Cas surprised him with a full body blush, which only ended up encouraging Dean to call him that at every possible instance, once Cas had told him he didn’t mind, and that it was just new.

 

Now, Cas was getting used to it.

 

Gabriel laughed and said, “He’s adorable alright. The kid is up to my hip, and he’s already causing all sorts of ruckus.”

 

“That’s probably because Rachel lets you and Balthazar hang out with him far too often for his own good,” deadpans Cas, making Dean laugh heartily.

 

“I knew you had a sense of humour somewhere in that social ineptness, dude!” said Dean, letting his arm fall around Cas. He completely missed the slightly embarrassed but pleased look on the angel’s face, but Balthazar didn’t.

 

Thankfully, he knew better than to comment on it now. That didn’t stop him from spreading his upper-most left wing out slightly to brush against Castiel’s, showing the other angel his amusement.

 

Castiel glaring at him and spread his right wing out and whacked him. Hard.

 

Because of the sheer size and length of Castiel’s wings, Balthazar fell forward. Dean laughed brightly again.

 

“Badass Cas is badass!” he said, and leaned down to catch Adam, who had been running towards him.

 

“Why hello there, Adam! You’re the most adorable Pup here, aren’t you!” cooed Dean, and grinned as Adam tried to whack him.

 

“I’m not a pup! I’m almost 11 years old now!” he wailed.

 

“Nope, you still look like a pup to me!” said Dean, and laughed as Adam tried to hit him as he threw the boy over his shoulder and ran around. Adam squealed in delight, completely forgetting that Dean had made fun of him.

 

Balhazar gave Gabriel a knowing look as they both turned to look at Castiel, whose face was torn between fondness and an adorable sort of confusion.

 

“You’re such a dorkwad, Cassie,” said Gabe, pouncing on the angel, who yelped at the sudden, unexpected weight, and fell on his ass with the shorter angel on him.

 

“ANGEL PILE!” yelled Balthazar and jumped on top of him.

 

“Can I join?” said Sam, laughing.

 

Balthazar simply grabbed hold of the tall wolf and pulled him on top of them.

 

“Let’s join in, Adam!” said Dean, and jumped in as well, laughing with Adam.

 

“You are all children! Both of you!” said Cas, trying in vain to whack his two best friends, but he was laughing.

 

Dean watched his laughter with a sense of awe.

 

Rachel, who sat next to Jo, had a small sad smile on her face as she watched them.

 

Jo glanced at her. “What’s wrong Rachel?” she asked, frowning slightly.

 

“It’s just....you know, sometimes, there are people who no one ever expects to get together. They’re total opposites, and logically, they just shouldn’t fit. But somewhere, without meaning to, they fall for each other in ways that they don’t understand, that confuses them, and everyone around them, just because they don’t see how they can be together.”

 

Jo looked confused for a moment.

 

They were seated on one of the benches that faced Half Moon Mountain. Behind them was a large expanse of trees, which gave them shade. In the shade, Rachel’s face seemed more tired, and it was only now that Jo saw the dark circles lining her eyes, and the oddly sad gleam in her eyes.

 

“What do you mean?” she asked, though she wasn’t sure if she was asking what Rachel had meant by her previous statement or something else entirely. Rachel shrugged and waved it away, like it wasn’t important.

 

“Let’s go join them,” said Rachel, and Jo laughed.

 

“Are you sure Cas won’t mind us all on him?” Jo said.

 

“He’s much stronger than he looks, Jo. If he wanted them off, they would be off.”

 

Jo laughed and jumped in, eliciting a soft “oof” from the men under her.

 

“Jo! You could have hurt Cas! And Adam, but the Squirt probably likes it.”

 

“I’m not a squirt!!! Take it back Dean!”

 

“Nope! SQUIRT SQUIRT SQUIRT!”

 

They all laughed, and chased each other around, and John and Joshua stood in a cabin, watching with small knowing smiles. They smiled as Adam tripped over himself and fell into Castiel’s waiting arms, laughed as Dean jumped onto Castiel with a crow of joy. They chuckled as Gabriel attacked Sam, looking more like a child attacking a giant that anything else. The sun shone brightly in the sky, and Half Moon Mountain seemed greener than usual. Joshua and John exchanged a meaningful look when they noticed that.

 

“It’s almost time,” said Joshua with a sigh.

 

“How much longer?” asked John, running his hand through his hair.

 

“A few weeks. We should tell them.”

 

John nodded. “But how?”

 

“That is an issue. They both know of the story. Every child grows up on it.”

 

John laughed softly, but it sounded more like it was a sob.

 

“No parent wants to tell their child that that fairy tale is true.”

 

“No parent wants their child to deal with the Shadows either.”

 

The two Alphas stood and watched their packs run around, enjoying themselves. They were both sad, worried and fearful.

 

Mary stood in her room, watching them all, chuckling at their childish games, and looked at the owl seated on her window sill.

 

“They’ll be safe. Right, Chuck?”

 

The Owl hooted, and Mary couldn’t tell if it was an affirmative or not.

 

And far away, an angel and a shadow worked together to stop the wheels of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	11. Are They Saying Goodbye?

“I’ll show Dean,” mumbled Adam to himself, running his hands through his hair nervously. “I’m not a pup. I’m not!” he repeated to himself, and made his way into the dark forest that surrounded their town. Deep in the forest was a waterfall, where there were a million shining crystals. His mother had taken them there once, and Adam knew the basic route of how to get there. Adam knew that it was Dean’s most favorite place in the forest, except for the top of Half Moon Mountain. He said that the moon’s light reflected off the crystals, just so, and the entire cave would light up. Adam liked the Angels. He wanted to give them something. If he could prove to Dean that he was not a pup, then it was a positive.

 

He grinned to himself, shuffling through the shrubs, trying to figure out exactly how to get there the fastest. As a werewolf, he could smell the water, hear the waterfall, and so he just followed the scent of it. Dean had taught Adam the technique himself, though he was a bit young to know how to use it. Dean told him that if something went wrong, he wanted Adam to know how to travel, just in case. Adam didn’t like that Dean thought something would happen. He didn’t know why the Angels were in town. He just knew they were fun, and he liked them. No one told him anything, and Adam didn’t like that. He roamed around a bit more, sniffing at the air, till he finally burst out into a clearing.

 

Meanwhile, back in Lawrence, Mary was frantically worrying.

 

“I can’t find him anywhere, Dean!” she said, and Sam’s arms tightened around his mother.

 

“Don’t worry, Mom. Sam and I will go out and find him. He’s probably just roamed off. He’s curious. I was like that too, right?” said Dean, grinning. Mary and Dean both knew that Dean was never like this. He never disobeyed rules. But neither of them spoke about it, because John got really sad when they did. It was a time when he wasn’t there, even if he was only not there to make sure everyone stayed safe.

 

“I can help, if you want,” said Cas, spreading his wings.

 

Dean smiled and shook his head.

 

“We can sniff him out. It won’t take long. Just take care of things here, alright?” he said, putting his hand on Cas’ shoulder for a moment, and then removing it so that he could shift. Cas had never seen someone shift. None of the angels had. So they openly gawked as Dean and Sam both shifted. They could hear the bones shifting, setting back into place. Hair grew out, and their facial features changed.Finally, there was a snow white wolf staring up at Cas, and behind him a shaggy, brown wolf.They approached Mary, nosing at her palms to offer her comfort and then set off into the forest.

 

Unknown to everyone involved, there was a girl seated on a tree close to where Adam was. Her chocolate brown eyes watched the scene with a small smirk. Her eyes glinted in satisfaction, because it was all going according to plan. Never knew werewolf pups were so cute. She thought, grinning as she heard shuffling from the entrance of the forest. She had taken care to create two scents. Both smelt of Adam, but only one led to where the boy was currently.With one last look at the blonde, who was trying to find a small crystal, she darted off into the forest. Hers was a simple job. Find Sam Winchester and take him away. Make sure that he does not get into the hands of Lucifer.

 

Protect him with your life.

 

She intended on following through. Crowley didn’t look at failures with any kindness. He was harsh, but only when necessary. This was why she asked for him as her Master. This was also why she currently had powdered Wolf’s Bane in her hand, clutched tightly so as to knock out the shaggy, brown haired wolf leaping through the trees in an effort to find his younger brother.

 

She had always loved the werewolves. The way they held Pack over all else, the way they loved for life. She wished she were capable of something like that. But a Shadow could not do anything good. It wasn’t a law, or a curse. It was just that whatever a Shadow did, whether it was with good intentions or not, it would be seen as a bad thing. She slowed down a bit, leaping up so she could sit on a branch and wait.

 

She needed to stop Lucifer’s plan. And if she had to kidnap Sam Winchester so that Dean Winchester and Castiel set off on a quest to rescue him, so be it. She was willing to do this to survive. She didn’t want to go back and be sent to Alistair, whose hooks and knives carved into her flesh, and made her bleed till she had only enough blood to live.

 

She heard movement, and sure enough, a brown wolf was trotting his way through the path, sniffing at the trees in a hope to get to his brother.

 

She jumped down and blew the dust in his face.

 

“I’m sorry Sam. But I have to do this,” she said, and the wolf passed out immediately. Wolf’s Bane was known to act as a sedative to wolves in dust form. In liquid form, it could be lethal. This was why she had chosen it.

 

It was quick, effective and lasted around a day. It gave her enough time to take him to the carriage she had arranged for and take him to a cottage as far from here as possible.

 

She touched his fur gently.

 

“Don’t worry. It’ll all work out in the end,” she said.

 

She wasn’t sure if she was saying that to reassure the unconscious wolf or herself.

 

She could hear Dean scolding Adam, but not with too much venom. She heard him run with the boy, back to the main town.

 

She could hear, as she managed to push the wolf into the carriage, Mary Winchester exclaiming that Sam had not come back.

 

She could hear Adam crying because he thought it was his fault.

 

She could hear another voice- Castiel- try to calm him down.

 

She heard Dean tell Adam to stop crying because he didn’t do anything wrong.

 

And finally, as the carriage set off down the road, headed for the lone cottage up north, she heard Dean and Castiel assure the Winchester Clan that they would set off at sunrise to find Sam.

 

She smiled.

 

Everything was going according to plan.

 

Crowley would be very happy indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	12. Everyone's Waiting

Joshua and John sat on one end of the table, with Mary bustling in the kitchen, making hot coff-tea like she used to make when Dean and Sam had been younger. Especially when they were upset.

 

“Dad. What’s going on? We should be getting ready to set off after Sam,” said Dean, cautiously.

 

“With all due respect, sir, Dean is correct. Precious minutes are being lost as we stay here,” said Castiel, fiddling with his right wing nervously.

 

Joshua watched him with oddly sad eyes.

 

“You shouldn’t forget, Castiel,” he said softly and Cas looked up suddenly.

 

“I haven’t. I won’t. I know.”

 

Dean glanced at him in confusion but his thoughts were interrupted by his father.

 

“Dean. I hoped, regardless of the fact I knew this was coming, that I wouldn’t have to do this.”

 

Dean sat up straight. He knew the Alpha voice when he heard it.

 

“Dean,” Joshua said, quietly. “You remember the story of the Moon Wolf and the Sun Angel, right?”

 

Dean nodded, and glanced at Cas, whose eyes were wide in surprise. Apparently he wasn’t the only one in love with that story.

 

“Dean, Castiel. Everything you heard in that story....is true. The Moon Wolf and the Sun Angel are real. They were reborn again. This time, to stop the Shadows for good. There’s a lot that’s omitted from the fairy tale. About why the Snake targeted them. Its time you learnt about who you two really are.”

 

Dean’s entire body seemed to be attentive, from his ears that seemed to perk up and his eyes were focused on Joshua. Castiel seemed to have relaxed, as he tended to do when he heard this story, almost like he was visiting a long-lost friend. His blue eyes were focused on Joshua in a manner that he usually used when he was looking at Dean.

 

Castiel took a deep breath and Joshua nodded. “It seems you’ve figured it out already, Castiel.”

 

He nodded, glancing at Dean, who just looked confused. “The Moon Wolf,” said Castiel softly, “has fur the colour of the moon.”

 

Dean’s eyes widened. “But...there are so many packs up north with the same colour!”

 

“Snow white fur isn’t the same as Moon White,” said John quietly.

 

Dean let out a growl that had Castiel and Joshua shifting away from him.

 

“How could you not tell me this? Sam wouldn’t be gone!” Dean yelled.

 

“Don’t you dare blame yourself! We needed to make sure they didn’t target you! We didn’t know they’d try for Sam! We thought you would be the main target!” roared John, both of them wolfing out a bit, so that their faces were more wolf than human, but not all the way.

 

Dean let out another soft growl.

 

“You weren’t ready. It wasn’t time yet, Dean. Things like this need to be handled with delicacy. The shadows can’t be defeated by little pups impulsively darting into danger. You and Castiel needed to be trained. You needed to be taught the ways of the world. You’re still not ready, but by the time you get to the final battle, you will be,” said Joshua calmly, and Dean seemed to lose the tension in his muscles.

 

The angel and the wolf glanced at each other and then at their mentors. They both nodded, agreeing to listen to whatever the two had to say before setting off to meet Sam.

 

“I’m sure you already know the werewolf and the angelic version of the story?” asked Joshua, sitting down opposite to them.

 

They both nodded again.

 

“Well then, here goes, I suppose,” said John, seeming to hunch slightly as he remembered everything they knew. It was evident he didn’t want to do this, didn’t want either his son or the angle, nay, his son’s angel, to have this weight on them, the weight of an entire world that would make them choose a path they may not want. Castiel would be forced to choose between his kingdom and his destiny, because there was no way that he could protect the world and be the King. Dean would never be the Alpha of the pack, as John had always known, but it was a fact he didn’t want to be true. Dean would have to live the life of a nomad, only visiting the pack whenever he crossed paths with them. John didn’t want that life for the two boys in front of him, and it showed in his posture, in the sadness of his eyes, in the clenched fists that remained hidden under the table.

 

_When the angel and the wolf met, they didn’t start off as best friends. The Angel didn’t know how to speak to someone who wasn’t an angel, and the Wolf only trusted his brother- his sole confidant._

_It took them both some time to get used to each other, but not once did they ever tell the other to go away. They were both lonely and needed someone else who understood the weight that had been rested upon them._

_What most people didn’t know was that shortly after the creation of the Shadows, God had called upon both of them and told them about how they would need to protect the world from the Shadows. They both knew that they would play a role, but hadn’t realized that there was someone else out there who had the same job._

_When they both came to this realization, they slowly started getting along. It started with small things. The Wolf showed the Angel his territory. The Angel showed him bits and pieces of the world that he collected for him since the Wolf disliked the feeling of flying._

_But slowly and steadily they came together and became good friends. It didn’t matter that it had taken them 2 moons to do so. The fact that they had gotten there was a great deal, and they were both certain that they could save their people with just this friendship._

_What they didn’t realize was that, for them, friendship was just the beginning._

_They got to know each other better, and set off on a journey to figure out how to defeat the Shadows. No one is really certain of how they did it, but somehow they managed to seclude almost all the Shadows in the land we now call the Shadow Lands._

_Tragedy struck after they did that._

_Somehow, the one we call Lucifer snuck out for a day and tricked the Wolf’s brother into revealing details about the Angel. He took the Angel for himself and killed him._

_The rest of the story you already know._

_But Chuck, or the Lord of the Forest, told us both one thing._

_Lucifer is a creature of habit. He likes to follow patterns. He will continue as he did, and will not sway from the path he set off on. He is a snake trying to eat its own tail._

_It will end where it began._

 

Both Cas and Dean were quiet. They didn’t know how to respond.

 

“Lucifer is a creature of habit. But it isn’t necessary that history repeat itself,” said John, knowing exactly why the two men looked increasingly uncomfortable. Joshua and John had both noticed the small inklings of interest that could very well kick start the flames of passion between them. But he knew Dean. If he forced Dean to take note of it, he would stamp it down and destroy it before it began.

 

They both seemed relieved at this lie. They may not be trying their hardest to look at it as one, but the fact that they accepted it made it obvious how awkward they were worried this would be.

 

Joshua nodded, his kind eyes filling up with something akin to worry and love when he looked at them.

 

John sighed. “I’d love to not have you do this, but unfortunately, it’s not in my hands. So take whatever you need to find Sam and save him.

 

Dean stood up and nodded. “We’ll say goodbye to everyone, collect some supplies and set off as soon as possible.”

 

“You may want to meet Missouri and the others before you get to the main road, Dean,” said John, standing up as well.

 

Dean nodded. As he turned, he wrapped his arm around Cas and said, “Dude, she makes the BEST pie in the whole world! You’ll like her. She so bad-ass that Dad is kinda afraid of her.”

 

“Only idiots aren’t afraid of that woman,” grumbled John, making Joshua snort. They were sad that they had to watch their young ones go, but they needed to.

 

Like fledglings in the nest, they had stayed too long. This was the only way they could spread their wings and fly.

 

And if it saved the world at the same time? Well, that was just a perk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	13. Comes and Goes

Sam could feel the weird feeling of being underwater fade slightly. It was almost like that feeling you got when you could see the light from where you were underwater.  He was floating in the middle of a lake, submerged in water, and he watched all the fish float past his face like he wasn’t there.

 

He felt like he was flying but for some reason, he also felt suffocated. He couldn’t understand it. Where was he?

 

What was he doing here?

 

Why was he here?

 

He couldn’t seemed to understand, and started thrashing in the water. He couldn’t breath, he couldn’t comprehend what was happening.  Everything started to go a bit hazy.

 

The next thing he knew, Sam startled awake. His breathing was heavy, and he was covered in sweat. The first thing he noticed was that he was in a carriage. It appeared to be moving, based on the fact that Sam could feel the bumps and potholes in the road.

 

The second thing he noticed was that he was not alone. He was lying on the floor, his hands tied behind his back, and above him, on the seat, he could see a woman with long brown hair. She seemed to be wearing breaches, like most of the women he knew wore, and a baggy white shirt that was just slightly tucked into her breeches. Her brown eyes were on him, and she seemed to be amused, but not in a malicious way.

 

“Good morning, Sam,” she said, cheerfully, but Sam just struggled with the rope that was tying his hands together. “If I was going to hurt you, Sasquatch, I would have already done so,” she said, looking mildly amused.

 

“Who are you? Where am I?” he said, his voice slightly hoarse with dryness.

 

“Ruby. I’d say its nice to meet you, but I’m sure I’d have rather met you under different circumstance. As for your other question, you’re in my carriage, and we’re on our way to Seanchan.”

 

“Why would you tell me where we’re going?” he asked, managing to sit up slightly.

 

Ruby leaned down towards him, her lips pulling up slightly in mild amusement.

 

“I’m not worried about you running away, Sammy-kins,” she said.

 

“You’ll never get away with this,” said Sam, struggling to break free of the rope that tied him down like a trussed up pig. He growled angrily at her, trying again.

 

“I’m counting on it, dear,” said Ruby, flippantly.

 

“You’ll never ever pass the Dog,” he said.

 

Ruby brightened slightly at the mention of the three headed dog that guarded the only entrance to Seanchan that was not surrounded by the forest.

 

“Who, old Cerberus? I’ve done my research, Sam. You may like this, because I get the feeling you’re a bit of a geek,” she said, and pulled out something from her bag. It seemed to be an old wooden flute, but for some odd reason, it didn’t seem like it had....been affected by time. Sam stared at it for a moment, taking in the sinews of the flute, the intricate structure, the carvings that he couldn’t see from his position.

 

“The Flute of Orpheus?” Sam said, gaping.

 

“Looks like you’ve done your reading. Planning on travelling?” asked Ruby, her fingers running over the flute gently for a moment before focusing on him.

 

Sam glared at her, like he was trying to set her on fire through the intensity of his glare alone. His entire body was stiff, and Ruby merely looked slightly amused.

 

“You know Sam, it would be much easier to help your brother if we decided right now that we’re going to cooperate.”

 

Sam’s eyes widened. “What did you do to Dean?”

 

Ruby watched him carefully for a moment. “Nothing. I’m trying to save your brother and his wonderful angel. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t someone planning to hurt him.”  

 

Sam’s eyes did this thing that made him look like a worried puppy, his eyes widening just a bit, and Ruby felt her heart melt slightly. It was a common misconception that Shadows did not have hearts. But they were just like all the other people on this planet- they had “families”, they felt. They just could not love, because their heart had been blackened by hatred.

 

“Its a long story, but I promise you that once we get to Seanchan and in a room, I will tell you everything. But right now, its very important that you stay tied up and let me do this right.”

 

Sam didn’t look like he was going to trust her at all. He still seemed to be stiff, his body seeming bigger than it already was in order to warn her off. Ruby simply stared back, hoping to God that Sam was using his werewolf abilities to sense if she was lying.

 

He suddenly relaxes and said, in slight surprise, “You’re not lying.”

 

Ruby’s lips pulled up in a genuine smile, her eyes lighting up, making her look much younger.

 

“I have much more to lose than you do, Sam,” she said, but at the same time, she had the feeling that maybe that was not completely true. She could tell that Dean held a very sacred place in Sam’s heart, one that no woman or man would ever be able to take.

 

She felt something ache inside of her, something that made her want a family like that, a family that loved each other and would die for each other. Sam glanced up at her, frowning slightly, and Ruby realized he could smell the sadness and longing on her.

 

Ruby’s lips quirked up in a parody of a smile, and then looked out of the window of the carriage.

 

“We’ll be there soon. Then I’ll introduce you to a friend of mine, who will tell you everything,” she promised, as Sam’s brown eyes watched her closely. She knew he didn’t believe the “friend” thing. But really, there was no other way to describe Crowley. He wasn’t her boss, nor her anything. This was the closest demons got to having friends.

 

Demons functioned on sadness and anger. They didn’t do relationships, but instead they had hatred and hierarchy. The hierarchy was based off who could cause the most pain, who was the most manipulative, who was filled with the most hatred. There was no space for love or family in the Shadow Lands.  

 

When Ruby had known nothing other than her small world, hidden deep within the Shadow Lands, she had been content with the constant bloodshed, the lack of trust, the lack of the light of hope. But now she had seen the world outside, and she wanted. She wanted to live in a family like Sam had, have wings to fly like Aziraphale- the angel who had grounded himself out of the love he felt for a Shadow. She wanted to love, she wanted to cry, she wanted to feel everything this world had to offer.

 

If only someone would let her. However, in the Shadow lands, it was not that easy. There was no freedom, just Lucifer’s Law.

 

This trip, this mission, was the only way Ruby would ever get to look at the outside world, learn what colours truly were, actually be able to see.

 

She finally focused on her captive again, who seemed to be watching her very carefully, like he was trying to read her soul. Or rather, whatever replacement for a soul that a Shadow had.

 

She raised her eyebrow, looking at him like she was amused again. She was good at inciting people into giving her information by making them feel like she was mocking them. But Sam didn’t seem to be rising to the bait. Instead, he just watched her blankly, with no actual facial expression, but his eyes seemed to be observing much more that Ruby would like him to be.

 

Sam seemed to be much more than Ruby had originally thought. She had expected a stereotypical Alpha- posturing, possessive- but instead she found a ridiculously careful Alpha who didn’t seem to see the need to posture because he knew exactly how to make people do what he wanted them to without it. He seemed to be the kind of Alpha who would play chess, and always win- regardless of whether it was on a chess board or in real life.

 

They were so caught up in their own thoughts that they were jolted out of it when the carriage suddenly came to a halt.

 

Ruby leaned down and, to Sam’s utter surprise, cut the ropes tying him up. She smirked slightly and said, “I have a feeling that you’ll do anything to protect your brother.”

 

She leapt down, out of the carriage and onto the dusty ground below it. Sam didn’t think she realized he could hear her when she whispered, “That may just be the reason we’re here now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	14. Look Into The Future

Dean had been to Missouri’s town several times over his childhood. Its was where he had learnt everything he knew about history. He disliked school, but John had insisted that he went so that he learnt about the world around him because if he ever went out he would need to be able to work with what he knew.

 

Back then, Dean had scoffed and declared that he was never going to go out of pack lands anyway, so there really was no point. He hadn’t understood the look on John’s or Mary’s faces, but now he did.

 

Now, years later, Dean walked down the familiar dirt road that led to Missouri’s town- Chaseline- with a sense of sadness. His parents had done so much for him, because of this stupid prophecy. He didn’t like it when he was the cause of anyone’s sacrifices.

 

He glanced back at the angel following him. He didn’t seem sad about this like Dean.

 

“Why do you seem so ok with this?” he finally asked, and bright blue eyes met green.

 

Castiel seemed to think for a moment and said, “Angels are much more accepting of the Divine Plan than most other creatures. We’ve been raised to believe that each and every one of us is connected, and that these threads that intertwine with one another in various, and sometimes surprising, ways. Its futile to question the Plan. We make our own choices, but there are possibilities and then there is the Plan. Its built on Hope- the Hope that people will do the right thing and that they will Love rather than Hate.”

 

Dean stared at him in confusion.

 

Cas seemed to think for another moment as they walked down the muddy road leading to the town.

 

“Imagine a rug. The rug, as you see it, has multiple patterns and it shows a picture of something. It depicts, for instance, happiness and joy. But the tiny threads that make up this joy, may have been the most miserable threads until the Divine Plan came into play. They had no Hope, they did not know Love. It is only when all these threads come together that you see the picture of happiness and tranquility. The Divine Plan is never just one person. Its basically millions of people throughout history coming together for a common goal. Why should you go against something that has been building up over years and years?”

 

Dean stared up at the sky, watching the birds fly over the canopy as something disrupts their peace. He can hear the sounds of the forest around him, can smell the wet earth they’re walking on. He doesn’t see this like Castiel does, but he can see that the earth around him needed it. He could smell a sense of apprehension in the forest itself, as if it was worried that he would refuse.

 

And how could he refuse the Forest? It was part of him, part of his heart, his body, his soul. He would never be able to say no to protecting this forest, his family.

 

He looked back at Castiel, and noticed that his lips had curved a little into a small shy smile, as if he knew what Dean had decided, but wasn’t sure if he was allowed to react. Dean could smell him too- the scent of pure air, of honeysuckle and mint, of the ocean. It was addictive at a far more primal level.

 

Dean didn’t want to analyze what that meant.

 

Cas tilted his head in slight confusion, like one of the owls in the forest. Dean could help but smile at that, and grabbed his hand.

 

“Come on, Cas. We don’t have all day.”

 

Cas let himself be dragged by the werewolf, since he didn’t know the way to the town. Behind him, his black wings fluttered- but Cas wasn’t sure if it was in nervousness, anticipation or delight.

 

He tried his best to keep them out of the way of the bushes and the trees around them. Grooming wings was something all angels learnt how to do. It was necessary because wings were so essential to an angel. It was a set of extra limbs. They needed to be taken care of as well.

 

Grooming sticks and leaves out of his wings- which were already large and fluffy to begin with- was something Cas didn’t exactly want to do. It was a very tiring process given the size of his wings.

 

Dean glanced back to check what was slowing Cas down, and that’s when he noticed that Cas was having a bit of a difficulty going through.

 

His eyes softened a bit, and he changed direction. Cas didn’t notice in his effort to protect his wings, but when he looked up, he noticed that they were on a much wider road now. One where he didn’t have to hold his wings so as to protect them from the trees.

His eyes widened a bit, and he glanced at Dean, who continued walking like he hadn’t changed his route intentionally.

 

Cas’ lips twitched into a small shy smile and he watched the other man’s back. He didn’t know where they were going, what would happen and if they were even going to survive, but if Dean was with him, he was sure it would be worth it.

 

Meanwhile, in a small town of centaurs, a centaur named Missouri smiled as she watched the tea leaves in her cup settle into a pattern that meant new beginnings and love.

 

In a completely different direction, a short man named Chuck and an elf named Becky watched the jellyfish swim around their feet never touching, never hurting them, and smiled as they both felt something change in the ripples of the sea, the taste of the air and the brightness of the sun itself.

 

Everything was falling into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	15. Icarus

Dean and Cas finally made it to the town at around nightfall, which meant they didn’t need to worry about any creatures of the night or getting lost.

 

Dean’s nose led them to town, but it took them longer because Dean kept to the wider roads. Cas appreciated the sentiment, because he knew they took much longer than they would have with Dean’s shortcut through the woods.

 

Dean’s warm, bright soul shone as brightly as it always did, acting like a beacon in the night. Cas felt calm and safe, and he understood how so many wolves were so attracted to him. He obviously radiated a sort of aura that made people see him as the born leader he was. He obviously felt other people’s pain, regardless of his anti-sentimental crap attitude he had as a cover.

 

Cas knew that Dean was like the delicious toffees the Dwarves made- crunchy on the outside, gooey on the inside.

 

His lips twitched slightly as he watched Dean approach the town gate. “Hey! Kevin! Its me, Dean! From the Winchester clan!”

 

The gate immediately opened to reveal a young centaur with navy black hair and a navy black flank as well. His pale skin glowed in the moonlight and his obsidian black eyes twinkled in ill-concealed mirth. It was obvious this centaur in specific know Dean very well, if the bright smile Dean received was any indication.

 

“Missouri’s been waiting for you,” he said, before turning to Cas.

 

“You must be Castiel. We’ve been waiting for you,” said Kevin, his smile seeming to change slightly into something more akin to awe and delight.

 

Cas returned a shy smile and nodded, as his wings curled around him almost like they were protecting his body.

 

Dean’s eyes landed on Cas, and Kevin could easily see the fondness that radiated from the young wolf and hid his smile.

 

“Come on in. Missouri asked for rooms to be set up for you. She said she’ll meet you for breakfast,” Kevin said, trotting in and the two followed.

 

The town had a simple layout, and was very similar to Lawrence. Everywhere Castiel looked, he could see log cabins that had very obviously been modified for the centaurs. The cabin he and Dean had spent the night in was between the outer circle where, Kevin explained, the night patrol lived, and the inner circle, where the children, the school, and the elderly lived.

 

The entire atmosphere of the town was so hospitable that Castiel was not at all surprised that this was the go-to stop when someone was travelling through the forest.

 

Castiel had also never seen centaurs, and he was awed by their size and the way they carried themselves. Like the angels had their different coloured wings, the centaurs have different coloured flanks, and they seemed to correspond with their actual hair colour. The children seemed very lively, singing and dancing around while obviously helping out with the preparation for dinner.

 

From their position in the village, Cas could also see the light of a bonfire and the faint sound of music and hoofbeats along with it, like they were all celebrating something important.

 

“Dinner should be ready for you guys soon, and we’ll bring it to your cottage. Just go ahead and relax for the night. You’ve had a long journey,” said Kevin, seeming slightly awkward and worried when he noticed where Cas’ attention was.

 

Dean yawned. It was only now that Kevin mentioned it that he felt the bone deep tiredness in his body.

 

“Also Pam has been asking about you.”

 

Dean snorted, and Cas looked a bit confused.

 

Pamela, as Kevin explained for Cas’ benifit, was one of the centaurs Dean was good friends with. She was much older than him, but that didn’t stop her from flirting with him, just for fun.

 

“Anyway, you guys rest. Good night!”

 

“Bye Kevin!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	16. The Lighting Of The Lamps

While Dean and Castiel were trudging through the forest to Chaseline, Sam and Ruby had made it into Seanchan, having passed Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guarded the main entrance.

 

Sam, having been let free, seemed to forget for a moment that he had been kidnapped and was watching the city in awe. The city, at this time of the day, was full of life. The Brownies were all lined up on the sides of the wide roads, bellowing out their fares and how great their fruits were. There were stall of multiple colours, selling everything from pendants to magical charms.

 

There were creatures of all sorts roaming the city. The Faes roamed the streets like they owned it- which they technically did, being the land owners in most cities- wearing garbs of various exotic colours that you couldn’t help but stare at. Their other worldly beauty attracted attention that they flourished in

 

There was the occasional scouting party of Harpies, the security group that made sure that nothing was amiss in the city. Up the road was the largest building in the city, the temple run by the Sekhmet. The Sekhmet were a rare race, and they were the lioness-headed preistesses. There was one in every city, running the main temple. Across the street was the secondary temple, that the Maahes ran. The lion-headed men were much more common and their temple was considered secondary to the larger and more auspicious temple run by the Sekhmet.

 

Both temples were large and white, with grand pillars. They never seemed to get dirty, not a speck of age on either one. It was said that the Sekhmet and the Maahes both used their magic to do that.

It was whispered that they used their magic for much more than tiny parlour tricks.

 

As Sam and Ruby walked down the streets, they passed shops that had Dwarves making chocolate and Dwarves making furniture. They found many Tomte making their slow progression towards the gate to leave to their small farms after selling their produce to the Brownies. Some stayed behind to sell the vegetables they had grown.

 

Ruby watched with amusement. She remembered when she’d been in awe of the land. When Crowley first took her out into the Light Kingdom and taught her how to hide in the crowd, how to look unassuming and harmless, how to be one with her surroundings. She had been enraptured by the music, the love, the colours.

 

Sam seemed to be similar, only he lived in this world. There had to be something different that he was seeing, something else that she hadn’t even taken notice of.

 

Sam wasn’t very easy to lose, even in a crowd. He towered over everyone else. Ruby found it odd, and somewhat lucky on her part, that Sam attracted very little attention. It was an odd characteristic for an alpha to have, but beneficial nonetheless. His natural ability to be almost invisible surprised Ruby, because Crowley had had to teach her the trait for several months so she didn’t get into trouble. Sam managed to roam the streets of Seanchan unnoticed, with Ruby following him and directing him. For someone who had been kidnapped a few hours ago, Sam seemed to be pretty confident in himself at that moment.

 

Finally, the two approached a small inn. It gave off an almost homey feel, but at the same time, it seemed like it was more than what it seemed to be. The windows were clean, and from what Sam could see from the outside, it seemed to be a well-to-do and well-established inn. But every single window in the inn had the curtain’s drawn, like it had something to hide, behind the dingy and dirty curtains.

 

Ruby entered first, placing a small bag of coins on the counter and asking for a room with two beds. The Satyr at the desk took the bag of coins with a small smile and nodded, tossing over a small, slightly rusted key. Ruby caught it easily enough and glanced back at Sam, who was looking around the room.

 

Once they got to the room, Sam watched Ruby as she set out her things carefully. She glanced up and said, “You need anything for the night Sasquatch?”

 

Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise and Ruby shrugged. She wasn’t going to tell him that she had observed his interactions with Dean and was simply mimicking some of Dean’s actions to make him comfortable. “Just because I’m a shadow doesn’t mean I’m not civilized. I’ve lived longer out here than I have in the Shadowlands.”

 

“How does that work out anyway? I mean, I thought it was impossible to get out?” said Sam.

 

“You need to not have any desire for destruction of the outside world. Once that’s down, you’re out. I didn’t have any desire to stay in the Shadowlands, and I didn’t want to destroy the world or hurt anyone. Same as the guy we’re going to be meeting in the next city. We have no inclination to kill you guys. We’re all for our own survival- something that won’t happen if Lucifer manages to do what he plans on doing.”

 

“What is it like?” asked Sam, cautiously.

 

Ruby glanced at him, her eyes seeming to glow slightly.

 

“There's a real fire in the Shadow Lands, agonies you can't even imagine. Its a... a prison, made of bone and flesh and blood and fear.”

 

Ruby seemed to suddenly shut off. Sam frowned at her, but Ruby seemed to be done with sharing and caring, and just collapsed on her bed.

 

“How do you know I won’t run away or kill you while I’m sleeping?” said Sam, almost insulted at how laid back she was being.

 

Ruby shuffled deeper into her covers and mumbled, “You won’t.”

 

Sam laid back down on his bed and glared at the ceiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	17. You Got A Friend In Me

Dean and Cas woke up to loud knocking on their cabin door. Dean jolted in surprise, immediately half shifting in surprise, while Cas was already up, his hand on the knife he kept under his pillow.

 

“Winchester! Up and at them!” yelled a voice, and Dean let out a surprised laugh.

 

“Henriksen?” he said, scrambling out of bed as Cas relaxed and collapsed into his bed again.

 

A deep, warm laugh greeted Dean as he opened the door with excitement and saw one of his best friends in years- Victor Henrickson. He was an attractive centaur with strong facial features and beautiful chocolate skin. His flank was light brown, with streaks of gold. He and Dean had met when they were merely foal and pup, and had bonded immediately. They had learnt a lot together, and had also gotten into a lot of trouble together.

 

“How are you doing, Vic?” said Dean, grinning brightly, and snorting at the groan that came from the lump in the bed that was obviously Castiel.

 

“Fine, fine. I heard about Sam. Don’t worry, you’ll find him.”

 

“I’ll take your word for it, man,” said Dean, slapping Victor’s shoulder with a sense of comradery.

 

“You and your angel should get ready soon, so that you don’t miss breakfast,” he said, looking at the small ball in the right bed, where you could see Castiel’s right wing draping off the bed and onto the floor.  

 

Victor pretended he didn’t see Dean’s eyes soften at the sight of the sleepy angel sprawled across a bed, hiding his smile, and clopped away, leaving them to their privacy.

 

“Cas, wake up,” said Dean, as he ruffled through his sheepskin bag.

 

A small groan could be heard from beneath the blankets, making Dean chuckle as he pulled on a new pair of boxers.

 

“Up and at them, Cas. We have to meet Missouri after breakfast,” he said, pulling on the clothes he had taken out of the bag.

 

“Fooooooood,” mumbled Cas, finally getting out of bed, accidentally running into the wall once or twice on his way to the bathroom.

 

Dean shook his head, unable to not smile at the cuteness of the older angel.

 

He sat on his bed, listening quietly to the sound of Cas taking a shower, the kids playing outside, and he can also smell the scent of the soap that Missouri makes, which Cas is now using, and the faint smell of breakfast buns and roast pig all the way from the other side of the camp. Dean was used to doing this every morning, it calms him down, settles the wolf, makes him feel safe knowing the people around him are safe.

 

He found himself snapping out of it when he heard the shower stop and the sound of wet feathers against towels. He sighed, stretching a bit as he made his way towards the mirror. He first met Missouri when he was just 5 years old and she had come to visit. Ever since then the woman has been very fond of him, though she had her own way of being fond- which basically meant insulting him about everything.

 

He knew what she didn’t like, and one of those things would be coming to her looking like he had rolled around in something. Cas looked like an adorable puppy at all times, so there was no chance that she wouldn’t love him, but Dean didn’t want to start off with being told why he needed to look like an Alpha’s son. She meant well, but Dean didn’t care enough to do all the stuff he was expected to do when he looked good enough to attract females and males anyway. He just needed to meet her expectations for the day, and then they’d leave anyway.

 

Castiel finally came out once Dean had finished with his hair, and he seemed to be back in his collared tunic, his black pants, and his long beige coat. He glanced at Dean’s new set of clothes as if he was assessing them, and nodded, making Dean smirk slightly at the evident approval.

 

As they slowly made their way through the town, they saw more people than they had seen the previous night. Now, a lot of them stopped to chat with them, greeting them warmly. Some of the children followed Cas around, and some of the braver ones asked to touch his wings. Cas seemed to like children, and even went along with their little shenanigans. Dean felt something tighten in his chest as he watched Cas.

 

“Why, hello Dean,” purred someone, and Dean turned to see Bela Talbot. Behind her was Pamela. Bela and Pam were mates, and had been mates for a very long time. Bela had long golden brown hair and sharp pretty features. Her blue eyes seemed to be analyzing her surroundings. Her flank was also golden brown, shimmering in the early morning sun. Pamela had dark, black, wavy hair and bright blue eyes that sparkled with mischief. She had crows feet at the corners of her eyes and her flank was black as well.

 

“Hey Pam!” said Dean, brightly, and then turning to Bela and greeting her more roughly, “Bela.”

 

Bela and Pam may be mates, but Bela and Dean didn’t get along very well. Sure, they flirted occasionally, and would go out of their way to help each other, but if anyone accused them to actually- God forbid- liking each other, they would deny it vehemently.

 

Cas turned away from the children, who were disappointed at the sudden shift of attention but were soon distracted by something else and trotted off.

 

“You must be Dean’s angel,” said Bela, her lips curling coyly.

 

“Yes,” said Cas, either completely ignoring the implication or utterly oblivious of it.

 

Bela’s eyes widen in surprise at this admission, before she suddenly seems very amused. Dean assumes its because she realized that he evidently had no idea what she meant by her question.

 

“I assume you guys are going to Missouri’s now?” said Pamela, a small distant smile forming on her face.

 

Dean grinned. “Yeah. How bad do you reckon it’ll be?”

 

Pam snorted, and even Bela couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her. Missouri loved the Winchester boys from the core of her heart, but she loved picking on Dean. She loved pulling his tail and teasing him.

 

Pamela and Bela walked with the two of them towards Missouri’s house. It was a beautiful house, very similar to the cabins in Lawrence, but bigger, and seeming almost brighter than the ones in Lawrence.

 

That effect was probably caused but the multiple windows in the house, enabling maximum sunlight. Castiel’s whole face lit up when he saw the cabin. Dean smirked at him, but he seemed confused as to why Cas seemed so delighted at the house.

 

“In my home, houses are also constructed like this. It….reminds me of home,” said Cas, seeming to sense Dean’s confusion and curiosity.

 

As they made their way in, nodding at Kevin who smiled brightly at them as he exited the house, and Pamela and Bela seemed to turn around and leave as well.

 

At what seemed to be the center of the house was a centaur with dark curly hair and chocolate skin. Her lips were curled in a wicked smile as she watched the two approach, her dark flank gleaming in the sunlight that came through the window above her. She exuded an aura of someone who had been through a lot, and seen much more.

 

“Hello Dean. Always a pleasure to see your skinny ass in this town. Haven’t John and Mary been feeding you properly?” said Missouri, her dark eyes looking straight at Dean like she was looking for something.

 

Dean grinned, which was at odds with the way he rolled his eyes, “Yes, Ma’am. Can’t help that I’m amazing.”

 

Apparently, this was the response Missouri was looking for, because her lips twitched in amusement and her focus shifted to the man next to him.

 

“And you. You must be Castiel. We’ve been waiting for you,” she said, her face softening a bit just like Dean knew it would.

 

Despite Cas being a year older than him, he looked like he was much younger, with his bright blue eyes, the curious spark that lit his eyes when he met someone new, the crows feet at the corner of his eyes. There was something about the way he looked at things, at people, that seemed so child-like. At the same time, though, Dean was fully aware that the man was also a trained warrior.

 

Castiel looked at Missouri with a small smile. “Greetings, Missouri. Its a pleasure to finally meet you. You probably already know why we’re here?”

 

Missouri grinned, and Pamela and Kevin, who had just re-entered with plates of food, snorted in amusement.

 

“Straight to the point. I like that in a man. You’ll obviously get more done than Dean here,” Pamela said, and Dean glared at her, moving ever so slightly towards the angel.

 

Missouri’s eyes twinkled in amusement, and her lips twitched slightly like she was trying not to laugh.

 

“Yes, Castiel, I know why you’re here. I also know what you’re going to be taking. A prophecy that Pamela here heard from Chuck himself.”

 

Castiel’s eyes widened, as did Dean’s. As children, both had heard a lot about the man, who had blessed them both.

 

Pamela stepped forward, her eyes suddenly turning white, seeming to look at absolutely nothing. Her lips parted and then a voice that sounded nothing like her came out.

 

_From Fire they began,_

_From Fire will it begin._

_The Darkness that came from the Light,_

_Will finally be vanquished._

_It will signal a new beginning,_

_The meeting of the sun and the moon,_

_The brightness of a heart,_

_Will destroy a heart made of soot._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	18. The Story Of A Girl

Sam groaned as he turned over, only to realize that he wasn’t at home. He sprung up as if to ward away an attack, but then the memories of the previous night rushed through his head and he groaned.

 

He knew why Ruby was so sure he wouldn’t run off or kill her.

 

Dean could be in serious trouble. And anyone with eyes could tell that Sam loved Dean more than life.

 

And that was exactly what Ruby was using against him...no. Ruby had never smelt of anything but sadness. Not once had he smelt anger, or rage or even ill-will. He only sensed some kind of resignation from her, and for some reason, the wolf was all too willing to trust her.

 

If there was anything he had learnt from his fiasco with Jess, he had to trust his wolf. His wolf tended to know things he couldn’t ever see.

 

Jessica had been a lovely beta from the Moore pack who had come to stay with them for about a year. Sam and Jess had hit off immediately, and he had been so sure that she was his mate, but his wolf had disagreed. His wolf had also warned him about his “friend” Brady who ended up burning Jess alive.

 

Sam could still smell the acrid smell of burning flesh, could still hear her ringing screams, could still feel his heart shatter as his best friend was burnt alive.

 

Sam had learnt his lesson the first time, and he wasn’t about to make the same mistake now, only to lose Dean.

 

If the wolf trusted Ruby, even if it defied all logic, so would he.

 

He snapped out of his internal monologue when Ruby entered the room, bearing food.

 

“Ah, you’re awake. Good. The guy downstairs had food ready so i brought it up. We have a long way to go today. We have to meet Crowley, over in Dormoor, which means we have to travel for 3 days. So we need to get all the stuff done here, starting with those questions I’m sure you have.”

 

Sam looked at her, a bit surprised. She smirked at him but Sam saw through it. She still smelt sad.

 

“Why do you smell sad?” he said, and then covered his mouth. That wasn’t what he had meant to say at all.

 

Ruby looked at him, her eyes hardening for a moment.

 

“Shadows aren’t allowed to be happy. We don’t know how to be happy. Joy is a foreign concept to us.”

 

Sam was quiet for a moment.

 

“That must be annoying,” he said, softly. Ruby looked straight at him, but seemed to be looking through him.

 

“It is sometimes. But, that’s kind of why I came out. Surprisingly, anger and rage gets old. You spend so much time hating someone that you can no longer feel. But then, there’s a day when you look around you, and you realize that its all pointless. And that’s when your world comes falling down, because everything was built on anger and hatred, and now the only thing holding your world together is sadness.”

 

Sam frowned.

 

“It's so hard to forget pain, but it's even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace,” she continued, looking at the perpetually  closed curtains, her eyes seeming blank, but he could smell the resignation on her.

 

“It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it,” said Sam, looking thoughtful. “The Shadows are supposed to be malevolent. But you’re not. So, since you’re already going against what seems to be your definition, or rather, someone’s definition, of what a Shadow should be, why shouldn’t you feel happy?”

 

Ruby stared at him for a moment, and her lips formed a small genuine smile.

 

She wasn't bitter. She was sad, though. But it was a hopeful kind of sad. The kind of sad that just takes time.

 

And Sam smiled back, his wolf bared its teeth in something akin to excitement, because they both knew that this was the beginning of something new. An adventure unlike any other.

 

And maybe, along the way, he could help himself heal, and help Ruby heal as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	19. A Whole New World

“So what are we supposed to do now?” Dean asked Kevin, who looked west of the town, away from the forests.

 

“Go to Silverhill. There you will meet an angel unlike any that Castiel has known, one who has been away from the Angel Kingdom for so many years that he has been presumed to be dead.”

 

“Where will we find him?” asked Cas, as he shifted his coat to cover his wings properly.

 

“You don’t need to. He’ll find you.”

 

“Not obscure at all,” muttered Dean as he waved to the centaurs. Cas snorted and waved at them as well, as they slowly made their way towards Silverhill.

 

The centaurs had given them both duffel bags full of food, some coins, and also some random utensils they might need. Dean had also seen Kevin slip Cas a book or two for the journey. They had both decided to make a stop and buy two horses to make their journey easier, since the path to Silverhill was full of farms. It would be easy to find a horse on the way there.

 

Castiel was absolutely enraptured with the world he was only now seeing. He had flown out of his kingdom before, but the visit to Lawrence had technically been his first “mission” so to speak and he had never actually seen the world from this view.  

 

The real world was filled with brightness, with joy, with colour and with love. He could see the joy and love and life thrumming in everything he saw, and couldn’t help but smile to himself. He could hear the birds singing from their perches, could hear the men and women talking in the field, laughing and enjoying their work.

 

Dean didn’t seem as fascinated with his surroundings and instead seemed to be immensely eager to get a horse because he didn’t think that walking all the way to Silverhill was going to be easy, and Cas flying them there (an offer which had been on the table) was going to attract attention.

 

It had nothing to do with Dean’s fear of heights. Not at all.

 

    They were easily able to get two horses from a kindly old man who owned an apple orchard. He actually sold both horses to them for less  than what would usually be the price simply because he noticed that Dean was a werewolf and asked which clan he was from. Apparently, many years ago, John had helped him out big time with a rogue troll who had ventured too far from his homeland.

 

The only reason the man had taken the money that Cas had offered was because Cas had insisted that he take it.

 

So now they had two horse. The one that Dean was riding was a Thoroughbred black horse and the one Cas was riding was an Andulasian horse, its pure white flank gleaming in the sun. They were going to ride their way to Silverhill, effectively cutting their travel time by half, at least. Now, instead of the four-five days of walking they would have to do, they were going to make it to Silverhill in at least 2 or 2 ½ days.

 

Castiel had never been on a horse before, but he took to it like the annoyingly perfect guy he was. Dean glared at him in annoyance, and Cas looked back in confusion. He stared back long enough for Dean to sigh and smile softly at him. Cas’ face lit up and he went back to looking around the world in a sense of wonder and joy. His enthusiasm was contagious, and Dean soon felt as excited about being out of his forest for the first time, instead of being homesick.

 

Far away, in the Tear Desert, two figures slowly made their way towards the Elven kingdom.

 

Miles away, Chuck and Becky sat staring at the manuscript, Chuck not wanting to go forward in his narration and Becky not willing to write any more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	20. I'll Follow You Into The Dark

Ruby and Sam set off when the sun rose the very next day, getting into their carriage. They didn’t speak about anything that had happened before this. Instead, Sam watched from the tiny slit in the window as the landscape passed by, thinking about what this could mean. The carriage bumped up and down as it ran over the cobblestones.

 

He hoped his brother was alright, and that Castiel, who he knew somehow would be with him, was taking care of him.

 

His fingers tightened into a fist, and he stared out of the carriage, almost emptily. He could feel Ruby’s eyes on him, but she didn’t ask nor did she seem to think she should. Sam appreciated it. He didn’t know how to explain to her that part of him didn’t want to share Dean with Cas and that he wanted something like what they had.

 

He wanted that spark, that chemistry. He wanted to look at someone and feel like they were his world. He wanted to feel the slow burn of lust and desire and love all at once. He wanted to feel his heart skipping a beat when that someone appeared, wanted to hold someone in his arms.

 

And suddenly, he realized what life for Ruby must be like. That desire to feel what the whole world seemed to feel, but she couldn’t seem to do the same. He knew how that felt. He had let that need to love someone like that cloud his wolf’s judgement. And he had never met someone who could make his wolf feel the way his dad’s wolf felt around his mother.

 

Ruby thought she could never feel that.

 

But never, in any of the texts he had read, had anyone spoken about Shadows being unable to love. It was always that they chose to not love.

 

Could it be, then, that the Shadows had started to believe that they couldn’t love, and so they hated the world? Is that emotion what Lucifer used against the very people he ruled over, in order to control them? Was that his propaganda, the basis of his power?

 

Sam’s eyes widened in disbelief.

 

Lucifer was using the Shadow’s weakness against themselves.

 

And no one would ever realize it because it was too obvious to be what was his plan.

 

Ruby continued looking out of the window, while Sam had his little epiphany, trying to dig deeper into what he knew and adding it up with what he had seen of Ruby.

 

_“...everything was built and anger and hatred, and now the only thing holding your world together is sadness.”_

 

_“It's so hard to forget pain, but it's even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.”_

 

And slowly, everything came into place in Sam’s head, his eyes widening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


	21. What Sarah Said

Silverhill was an actual city-town. It was much bigger than Chaseline at least. There were so many people on the streets- Fae, Brownies, Dwarves, Satyrs. They saw the occasional Maahes, out for a bite to eat, and many creatures who didn’t usually live in cites and towns.

 

Silverhill was a in-between place for many people, and it was evident, if the number of goblins and dragon folk were anything to go by. The Dragon Folk were as easy to spot as the Fae. Their otherworldly clothes, their sharp, red eyes and their slightly more reptilian faces set them apart, though they were physically the same as Dean in the form they had taken at the moment.

 

The town had multiple buildings made of stone, and even the roads were paved with stone. There were many cycle-rickshaws, taking the fae from one place to the other. The temple, which stood atop the highest hill in Silverhill, was different from other temples, because while the main temple was still run by the Sekhmet, the Maahes ran the temple that was adjoined to it. The whole building was imposing in general, made of black obsidian and shining in the sunlight.

 

Dean and Cas had no idea what to do and who to look for. Kevin’s words had been cryptic and had done nothing but confused them. All they knew was this person was an angel, and they didn’t even know if this person would show his wings or not.

 

And so, the two made their way to an inn so as to at least settle down before they tried to figure out their next move.

 

The inn they entered was homey. It radiated warmth and coziness like a beacon. The interior was organized in a way that everything was placed to increase the comfort level of the people in it. There were many people everywhere. Some people were having a smoke in the corner, a few had come in to eat, while some were having a mid-day drink of hot cider.

 

As Dean spoke to the inn’s owner, Cas looked around and notice a blonde man watching him. Out of habit, his hand moved slowly to his sword at his waist. The man seemed to smile wider, his pale blue eyes brightening in mirth. He pushed away from the corner seat he had been sitting at, closing his book and approached him.

 

Dean seemed to stiffen, feeling the person move towards them, but tried not to take a defensive position.

 

“Greetings, Dean Winchester. Castiel,” the man said, and Dean seemed to instinctively relax, as did Castiel, when they both felt no hostility radiating off the man.

 

His smile widened and he motioned towards the seat he had been at.

 

“My name is Aziraphale. I’ve been waiting a long time for you to come into your destiny.”

 

* * *

  
  


By the time Sam and Ruby had made it to Dormoor, they were both very tired. Sam had also exhausted his knowledge of Shadows in his effort to figure out Lucifer’s plan.

 

He was eager to meet Crowley, the man who was basically Ruby’s boss. He was also very eager to see Dormoor itself, considering it was the first big city he had been to. He had a feeling, however, that he wouldn’t be able to do so, and would have to see what he could on the way to the Inn they would be meeting Crowley at.

 

Dormoor, from what he saw of it on the way to the Inn, was not very different from Seanchan, just slightly bigger in size and in population.

 

The Inn they were staying at was beautiful, just as beautiful as the other one, but Sam could feel the nervous vibes coming off Ruby and felt nervous as well.

 

Seated at the center of the Inn’s small dinner, was a man. He had greenish eyes that looked like they had seen too much. He was balding slightly, but something about him made his seem not only younger, but also powerful and oddly attractive. His lips were pulled in a grin that could only be described as smarmy.

 

“Hello, Darlings,” he said. “You must be Sam Winchester. Its a pleasure to meet you I’m sure.”

 

Sam raised an eyebrow, and when Ruby turned to look at him, she was amused to see him look decidedly unimpressed with Crowley.

 

“I’d say it was a pleasure, but given the circumstances….”

 

Crowley’s eyes lit up in amusement.

 

“Snarky. I like that in my men,” he said, with a smirk, and Sam simply looked even more unimpressed.

 

“Is that supposed to frighten me?”

 

Ruby couldn’t hold in the snicker.

 

Crowley’s grin widened to something that said that he was clearly pleased.

 

“I see you’ve figured out a lot. I assume Ruby simply laid out the right clues?” he said.

 

Sam turned to Ruby, surprised. Ruby shrugged.

 

“I wasn’t lying. But I intentionally placed the keys in front of you, knowing you’d be smart enough to use them in the right way.”

 

“Come, have a seat, Sammy-kins. We have a lot to discuss,” said Crowley with a smirk.

 

“Everyone! Everyone!” yelled a sartyr that had just run into the Inn.

 

“The worst has happened! The Elf Kingdom is ablaze! The Shadows have declared war!”

 

And somewhere, two lone figures watch a kingdom burn. The man’s arm is around the woman, who is weeping for the loss of her kind, while the man is watching quietly, knowing fully well what will happen.

 

The world was going to war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you who would like to, join me over at tumblr! http://misakikinomoto.tumblr.com/
> 
> I just sit and fangirl my way through multiple fandoms, reblog some recipes I'd really like to try and just wail about how perfect certain men are. Join me guys!
> 
> I'm also on LJ, same penname. Come on over and PM me! :)


End file.
